Hiding
by Lecanis
Summary: When Iruka suddenly withdraws from everyone but his students, he doesn't think he'll be horribly missed. He's wrong, and not all the people who work to bring him out of hiding are the ones he expected. KakaIru, past GenIru, implied GenRai.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Naruto

Warnings: Over the course of the story… sex, violence, language, etc. Yaoi. Don't like, don't read.

Not too many people noticed when Umino Iruka stopped taking mission desk shifts. Those who knew him well figured that Hokage had finally gotten one too many complains from higher-level shinobi about his lack of proper respect for them, and those who didn't know him didn't really care which paper-pusher took their reports, as long as someone took care of the paperwork for them. When anyone did talk about it, it was usually concluded that he had decided teaching took up enough of his time, and he didn't really need the second job after all.

Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, surveyed the room covertly, wishing for something to break her boredom. She had to spend a certain amount of time handing out missions and taking reports, but she didn't have to like it. Shizune had taken away the last of her sake stash already, and the mission desk workers were being strangely quiet. She didn't even hear any gossip being exchanged, which was very strange, because the mission room was the favorite place of gossips. That's why Sandaime Hokage before her had specifically assigned a certain shinobi to hang around there and collect such gossip, though most people just assumed the shinobi in question had too much time on his hands. At the moment, said shinobi leaned up against the wall near the door, chewing on his senbon and looking even more bored than usual. Tsunade could take pity on him and dismiss him, but she figured if she had to suffer, her subordinates should suffer too.

A young blonde Chuunin sat behind the desk calmly doing her job. She took the reports, looked them over, stamped them, made notes when necessary, and spoke little. Tsunade felt like smacking her. It was unfair to be angry at someone for doing a good job, but this particular worker was a large part of Tsunade's boredom problem. She did her job quietly and well, never caused a scene, never gossiped… and Tsunade absolutely refused to learn her name. In fact, she typically chose to ignore her, and sometimes on a really bad day, she imagined a tan-skinned man with a prominent facial scar and a high ponytail in her place. Despite popular opinion, it wasn't her fault that particular man no longer worked at the mission desk, and on long days she missed him sorely… his kindness, his humor, and his temper.

It was the last shift of the day, and the room started to clear out. Tsunade finally nodded slowly to Shiranui Genma, who shifted his senbon from one side of his mouth to another and slunk away from his post. The young blonde chuunin at the desk started to pack up her things, but Tsunade shook her head and said "One more report to come in. You're not leaving until you get it." She sighed and set her chin in her hands. "Neither am I, for that matter, so the brat had better hurry up if he doesn't want his good eye blackened for him."

Hatake Kakashi didn't hear the threat, of course, but it probably wouldn't have made much difference if he had. He strolled into the mission room about an hour later, to find the Hokage napping her chair and the Chuunin at the desk sitting patiently. Tsunade jumped as he entered the room, and glared at him. Kakashi simply walked up to the mission desk, threw his report at the woman working there, and turned to walk away.

"You can't just throw your report at her, Kakashi!" snapped Tsunade, her hands curling into fists.

Kakashi didn't turn around, but he stopped dead in his tracks. "Ah, why not? It's not like she's going to say anything about it, now is she?" He pointedly waited a moment to see if the Chuunin would in fact protest, but she simply marked the proper places, stamped the report, and set it aside. Kakashi shrugged lazily and then slouched out the door.

Tsunade turned on the other woman, her eyes blazing with fury. "You can't just let them walk all over you! If you don't say anything about it, you get half-finished reports that are practically illegible, and idiots like Kakashi make you wait all day! Say something about it to him next time!"

The other woman bowed deeply, and said "Yes, Hokage-sama" softly, but Tsunade wasn't fooled. This woman would never stand up to her superiors, and thus never gain any respect. She would silently accept whatever they gave her, speak when spoken to, and address everyone as Jounin-sama, just as she had every day since her assignment. She wasn't worth arguing with, and Tsunade instead turned on her heel and stomped out of the office, determined to go find something to drink.


	2. Chapter 2

To anyone seeing Umino Iruka at the academy, he appeared much the same as he always had. He was dependable, kind, strict but fair, and much-beloved by his students. He wore the same old chuunin uniform, the same ponytail, and the same easy smile. At this moment, however, he was not at the academy, but at one of the less accessible training grounds. At this moment, he looked tired, sad, and grimly determined. The sparring match he was in the middle of appeared more of a choreographed dance than a real fight, and it was obvious he and his black-and-orange clad partner had been through these exact moves many times.

Neither missed the presence of the man who jumped into a tree overlooking the training grounds, but the familiar chakra was ignored as non-threatening. When the set of motions came to their natural end, the pair came to the middle of the field together. Iruka reached out to ruffle Naruto's hair, even though the young man was now nearly as tall as himself and old enough that he would typically protest such a gesture. It was the look on Iruka's face that made him silently accept the affection offered and smile softly at his old sensei. Iruka smiled back, and said "Meet me at Ichiraku in a few minutes, okay?" The younger man nodded, and with all his old exuberance, bounded off, anticipating what was still his favorite treat: ramen with Iruka-sensei.

"What do you want, Shiranui-san?" asked Iruka suddenly, finally turning to face the man who had been watching the last few minutes of his workout.

"I'm bored," Genma replied, lazily sauntering his way onto the field.

"That has nothing to do with me, Shiranui," Iruka replied, politely but with an air of finality.

Genma sighed, gracefully lowering himself to lounge on the ground next to Iruka. "Ten years ago, you would have called me 'Gen-chan', however much I protested it."

Iruka flopped on the ground bonelessly, as if this simple observation had tired him in a way his workout with Naruto hadn't. "Ten years is a long time, Genma. In ten years, people die, people are born, wars are fought, children grow up, and sometimes, friends go their separate ways." He reached up and pulled off his hitae-ate, rubbing his temples. It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation, but usually he didn't let it get any further than this. Today, however, his exhaustion overwhelmed him, and he caved a little. "I haven't forgotten, Genma, I just don't feel like thinking about the past right now."

The senbon Genma had been rolling around in his mouth was now doing lazy flips between his fingers, but he wasn't looking at it. His eyes were focused on Iruka, and he seemed to be thinking hard. Then a slow smile spread across his face. "That's easy, Iruka, think about the present. Come to a party, or drinks, or dinner. Play a game. Anything. Just do it soon, not sometime next year, and don't worry about the past or the future."

Iruka turned to look at his old friend, and slowly smiled back. "I'll try. At the present moment though, I have to get going. Naruto will be waiting for me, and it's rare enough I get to see him these days."

Genma nodded and stood, sticking the senbon back between his teeth and reaching out to offer a hand to help the Chuunin up. "Just don't forget what I said, or next time I'll give up on talking to you and just tie you up and drag you." His tone was light and friendly, but his eyes spoke of a level of seriousness that Shiranui Genma rarely reached.

Iruka said nothing further as he left, but Genma figured that was a good sign. The past few times they had spoken, the conversation had ended with a polite bow and a "Good day, Shiranui-san," that left him feeling as if he might freeze to death.

When Iruka arrived at Ichiraku, Naruto was sitting at the counter talking to the man who owned the stand, but both immediately turned and waved to Iruka. "Same old conversation, Iruka-sensei?" the blonde asked, after Iruka had ordered and the owner had set about making their ramen.

Iruka shrugged. "I think he's starting to get to me. I'm wondering if it might take more energy to resist than to actually be friends with the man."

Naruto looked at Iruka thoughtfully. "You know, I've always thought that guy was smarter than he looked. He might have a point."

Iruka laughed. "Smarter than he looks, huh?"

Naruto grinned and winked. "Well, you have to admit that he doesn't look particularly bright, especially since he's always chewing on that needle he's surely going to choke on one day, and insists on wearing his hitae-ate all backwards and stuff."

Iruka gave his young friend a stern look. "One of these days, not having any respect for anyone is going to come back to haunt you, Naruto-kun."

The response was a shrug. "I respect you, Iruka-sensei. That's enough, isn't it? Besides, just because I respect people doesn't mean I can't make fun of them, does it? I've heard you make fun of some people that I'm pretty sure you respect, and you're one of the nicest people I know."

Iruka thought about that one, but not for very long, because the ramen came soon after that. Trying to have conversation with Naruto when there was ramen to be eaten was rather pointless, and truth be told, he'd become pretty fond of the stuff over the years too.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning in the mission room found Genma lurking again, and it was decidedly busier this time. Kotetsu and Izumo were running around trying to keep things organized. Tsunade was going to be busy all day, between council meetings and dealings with an important client, so it wasn't likely she would make an appearance. The lack of any real authority figure hovering over them made the shinobi even more gossipy than usual, and Genma was on his toes trying to sort out which rumors might hold some importance and which ones were either completely untrue or pointless. Keeping up with the personal lives of the shinobi was really one of the best ways to insure against possible breakdowns, betrayals, and suicides, and since most of them wouldn't admit to their issues if asked, Genma carefully made his way through the crowd, saying just enough to get others talking, and sorting the information he received.

Kotetsu was starting to look quite frazzled. He liked his fellow shinobi, in general, and most of them knew he was someone who could be relied on in battle as well as in this sphere of influence, but he wasn't good at pretending an authority he didn't really have. He made a signal to Izumo, who nodded at him, and ducked outside. Genma, curious, followed.

Kotetsu stood outside in the fresh air, taking deep breaths and looking as if he were trying not to become violent. He caught sight of Genma, and said, "I really just want to bash all their skulls in, you know."

Genma grinned at this. "Nah, I don't know. Remember, I spend all my time hanging around here voluntarily. I should just give up and ask for your job."

"No, what you should do is find out why the hell we lost our best worker, and what he's doing now anyway, since no one seems to see him except when he's surrounded by those rugrats," Kotetsu said grumpily. "Iruka could have had this mess straightened up right away, and half those stuck-up Jounin helping him too!"

Genma's grin disappeared. "I spoke to him yesterday. He trains sometimes with Naruto. I know he trains the rest of the time too, but I can only find him when he goes with Naruto, so I'm not sure where he trains the rest of the time. He seemed to actually be listening to me yesterday. He still doesn't say why it is he doesn't talk to anyone anymore, but he gave me some hope."

Kotetsu turned and stared at the Jounin, all his previous anger suddenly forgotten. "Why is it that you really chase him like that? Don't you know how to give up? I might say things like 'find him' but in truth I've never tried, beyond knocking on the door he never answers occasionally. I like him well enough, but whatever he's doing now, it's his choice. What's so important to you?"

"He's my friend. Or he was anyway. I suppose he's made it pretty clear he isn't now, but yesterday I think that determination wavered." Pausing, Genma turned and looked up at the sky. "It's more than that. Iruka, or rather the Iruka I knew, didn't give up. Not on anything he wanted, and not on anyone. I don't want to be the one to give up on him." Genma suddenly laughed. "Or, for all you know, I want in his pants. Or he owes me money. Or I just miss watching him get riled up and go off on people. I can sound as thoughtful as I want, but at the end of the day, people still think whatever they think of me." Genma's hands moved swiftly in the familiar signs, and then Kotetsu was standing there alone. When he went back into the mission room to get back to work, Genma was nowhere to be found.

Hatake Kakashi was not happy. One could tell because he wasn't doing his usual funny little eye-smile. One could also tell because he was radiating cold-blooded killer intent. He had good reason not to be happy. He had been practically dragged halfway across Konoha to the Hokage's office and by his ex-student no less. Of course, he could have resisted, but then he figured he would be facing the wrath of two super-strong bossy women rather than just one. Kakashi was brave, not stupid.

After he received his assignment, he was even less happy. Sakura outright laughed at him, as he stood there in Tsunade's office, somehow managing to convey shock and dismay through a face mask. "Why," he asked coldly, "can you not be guarded in these meetings by your actual guards?"

Tsunade just beamed at him. "But, Kakashi, don't you see? No one knows who my guards are, except that they're my guards! They aren't going to impress anyone! If I want to impress, I have to have the best. You're the best, and you're going to be at my side showing your support. Not because I'm in danger, which I'm not, but because politically I need to remind everyone what kind of talent I have at my command."

Kakashi thought about that one for a moment, and then decided it was way too apt a political assessment for Tsunade to have made all on her own, especially in the morning. "It's your fault, isn't it?" he said, rounding on Shizune, who was pacing back and forth by the window, obviously in a hurry to have this part settled so they could get to the real work. Shizune just shook her head, and pointed to Sakura.

Sakura beamed at her ex-sensei. "It's good politics, isn't it, Kakashi-sensei? Aren't you pretty much the most impressive shinobi in Konoha, and won't clients and council members alike fall in line a bit better with you backing up Tsunade, even if all you're doing is guarding her? We know not everyone is horribly impressed by Tsunade sometimes, due to certain vices, and so it's important she been seen as supported by the best shinobi we have, isn't it?"

Kakashi groaned inwardly, but outwardly he smiled and said "Good job, Sakura! Way to look 'underneath the underneath'. And of course I was only protesting to test you!" He didn't think he had her fooled, but he had to try. He was Hatake Kakashi, after all, and he had his pride.

It made for a very long and very boring day for Kakashi, and afterwards he found himself at the Memorial for the visit that he'd missed earlier, due to Sakura's interference. He stood there until quite a bit after dark, reaching out to trace the names he could find without looking. He felt rather than saw someone skirt around him, and the brush of almost-familiar chakra was enough to drag his attention away. Curiosity got the better of him, and he found himself tracking someone through the darkness, trailing through the forests of Konoha.

After a few minutes, he stopped bothering to be sneaky about it. Well, any sneakier than he was naturally. Either whoever he was tailing didn't know he was, or didn't care, because they didn't seem to be trying to shake him at all. It took him a while to realize where he was headed, but once he did, he was even more curious. Whoever he was following was heading straight to a training ground that had been a favorite of Sandaime's, and the last person he'd known who trained there was Sarutobi Asuma, before his death. This left his mostly likely suspects to be: Kurenai, Asuma's nephew Konohamaru, or his student Shikamaru. Perhaps his other two students as well, but it didn't seem quite as likely. None of these choices added up anyway, because the chakra had felt familiar, and hadn't been Kurenai's, the only one of the three who would have been readily recognizable to him.

The puzzle was solved before Kakashi actually arrived and saw his prey. Not because he figured out the chakra, but because he figured out the only person he hadn't though of who would have been heading out to Sandaime's favorite spot. Umino Iruka, who after all had been quite close to the old man, and had been rumored to be slinking around somewhere out of sight lately. Now that Kakashi had it figured out, he wondered if he should continue and try to speak to the man or leave him be. He had obviously been avoiding any kind of public attention for a while now and far be it to Kakashi to deny someone their privacy. Except that he really missed needling the Chuunin, and almost hoped he'd get a strong reaction for following him. "Decisions, decisions," whispered Kakashi, but he didn't slow down.


	4. Chapter 4

Kakashi had forgotten something. He realized it as he got nearer the training ground, and something just felt off. Unveiling his Sharingan eye, he realized why. There were seals all around the training area, which meant he wouldn't actually be able to enter it unless he was willing to breach them, and not only would doing so be dangerous, it would be disrespectful. Unless he could catch up to Iruka before he entered (assuming Iruka could enter), he wouldn't really have a chance to confront the man.

He didn't expect to find Iruka waiting for him outside the gate, but that's exactly what he discovered. The Chuunin was sitting with his back against the gate, his hands on his knees, waiting patiently. When Kakashi drew near, Iruka said "Why are you following me? Did Shiranui put you up to it?"

"Shiranui? What does Genma have to do with anything?" asked Kakashi aloud. Iruka just shrugged, and Kakashi continued. "I was wandering on the road of life, and you passed me by, and I was curious. That's all. I didn't even know it was you I was following at first, and by the time I figured it out, I thought I might as well come say hello. You're a hard man to find these days, Sensei."

Iruka snorted. "Everyone knows where to find me, every day of the week. I could have given you the slip this time, you know. If I had gone in, you couldn't have followed me."

"So why didn't you?"

"I don't know. Mostly because I wanted to know if Genma put you up to stalking me, I think."

"Oh. He didn't. But don't go yet. I've been wanting to talk to you," Kakashi found himself saying, honestly.

"You and everyone else, Hatake. I don't understand what the big deal is. I don't work in the mission room anymore. I don't have a social life. It's no one's business. I'm just tired of it. My kids are safe, they accept kindness and discipline from me, and they let me form them into shinobi. They go away, they fight, they kill, and they die. I worry for them, and I mourn them, but they are always children to me. Innocent in my eyes, even when I know they're not anymore. I don't have to see them broken and destroyed, hurting allies because they no longer know the difference between allies and enemies. I don't have to see them die at each other's hands. It might happen, but I don't see it." Iruka's voice was even, and his face held no expression. He might have been talking about the weather for all the emotion he was showing and that wasn't like Iruka at all. It scared Kakashi, more than anything else the Chuunin could have done.

"Why are you talking to me like this?" asked Kakashi suddenly. "Genma's been stalking you, apparently. If I remember right, the two of you were very close friends once. Why don't you tell him all this, instead of me? I'm not your friend; I've never been your friend. There are things we have in common: students and loyalties and tragedy… but we have never been friends. Why do you speak to me as if we are?"

Iruka shook his head. "It's exactly because we are not friends that I talk to you. Genma cares. Genma would cry and try to hug me, and speak consoling words to me. I don't want all that. Genma might have been my friend, but in the end, he's as bad as any of us. Barely controlled, whatever face we might show the world. If I wore a mask like you, perhaps I could be social. Perhaps I could hide behind it when really I'm looking to see which of my friends is going to be destroyed from the inside out first, if they don't die in battle anyway. I don't have a mask though, so I put that part of myself away, the dangerous part, and let the 'Iruka-sensei" side of me take over. Leave me be. If I can find some way past my own suspicions and fears, then I'll become a real shinobi again. If I can't, I'm not hurting anyone but myself, so you've no reason to meddle."

"What is this about? Mizuki, all those years ago? Sasuke? Some other traitor? Is that what keeps you in your own safe little world, the fear of being betrayed?" Kakashi said, his eye wide. He'd never seen this side of Iruka-sensei, and he was wishing he hadn't come here. It wasn't something he needed to know.

"Not the traitors. Betrayal is bad, but it's a clean cut at least. And Sasuke at least managed to redeem himself, or be redeemed, in the end of it all. It's not the traitors that I worry about, but the berserker that lives somewhere in all of us. The loss of control. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that someone hurt me, and that I'm afraid now of being hurt again. You've got it backwards though." Iruka sighed, pulling his hair out of his ponytail and running his hands through it. He was still sitting up against the gate, and Kakashi was still standing on the path, as if afraid if he moved closer, Iruka would run. Iruka thought about going into the training ground where Kakashi couldn't follow, but he was already spilling his secrets, so it didn't matter now. "I lost control. Me, dependable, sweet, loving, Iruka-sensei. It didn't matter so much in the end, no one was seriously injured, but I lost control. I can't lose control around my children, because they are my children, and they are safe. But once, I harmed someone dear to me, and that was the end of the Iruka everyone knew. I can't find him anymore. I can be "Iruka-sensei" and I can be this new person that no one knows yet, but I can't be 'Iruka'. Stop expecting it of me."

Kakashi's head was reeling. It was too much to take in. It wasn't something he could accept or believe. He wanted to run, but instead he walked slowly towards Iruka, kneeling down on the ground in front of the man. "I'm not Genma," he said hesitantly. "I won't console you, and I won't ask anything of you. But if you will let me, I will sit here for a while, and keep you company. Anytime you like, you can get up and go through that gate, and I won't try to stop you. But if you stay here for a while, so will I."

And so it was that Hatake Kakashi and Umino Iruka spent the entire night sitting outside the gate to the late Sandaime Hokage's private training grounds, and said nothing, and watched the sunrise together.


	5. Chapter 5

Soseki Yori had no illusions

Soseki Yori had no illusions. She knew she wasn't well-liked. She knew that no one knew her name, and that she was constantly being compared to someone and found wanting. She didn't know exactly who she was being compared to, except that he had held her job before her, and quit unexpectedly. From what the Hokage said to her about how she should behave, she could only guess that her predecessor had been something of an insubordinate jerk.

So why did everyone like him so much, and why did the Hokage want her to act like him instead of doing her job quietly and treating her superiors with respect? What was so special about this guy that things fell apart when he wasn't there, even though she and the other mission room workers were doing their jobs?

Yori was reliable. Even her name meant reliable. She wasn't spectacular, she didn't cause scenes, and she wasn't going to push the buttons of people who could kill her without blinking. It didn't matter what anyone said to her, she was going to do her job quietly and well, and if that meant that Hokage never learned her name, then that was just fine with her.

To say that Yori was surprised when Hatake Kakashi stalked into the mission room the next evening and came straight up to her desk would be an understatement. He didn't have a report to turn in. She had asked, because she wanted to know if it was likely she would wind up waiting again. So what was he doing here, and why was he saying…?

"Maaa… I'm sorry. I was rude to you for something that isn't your fault." Having said what he had to say, Kakashi turned on his heel without looking to see the Chuunin girl's response, and looked around for the other person he needed to speak to. As expected, he found Genma leaning against the wall, telling a rather raunchy story to Anko, who was laughing so hard she looked like she might fall over.

Kakashi stalked over, grabbed Genma by the back of his vest, and growled, "Leaving. Now." He thought he heard Genma protest, something about it not being time yet, but really what was Genma doing here but wasting time anyway? So Kakashi just dragged him along anyway, and Genma apparently didn't care enough to stop him, so out into the street they went.

"Can you stop dragging me now? If you want to talk, we'll go somewhere, but you don't have to drag me," drawled Genma, flicking his senbon.

Kakashi actually managed to look a little guilty. "Sorry about that. I have a lot on my mind. I need your help. Can we talk at my place?"

Genma raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah that's going to look great, me going home with you." Kakashi's face remained impassive though, so Genma figured it wasn't the time for joking around. "Sure, your place it is. Then you can let me know what's on your mind."

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in Kakashi's apartment, drinking tea. Genma had been to Kakashi's place a couple of times before, though only as part of a group, and as usual it seemed both very neat and rather empty. With a couple of exceptions; a couple of knickknacks that hadn't been there before had appeared. Kakashi followed Genma's gaze and shrugged. "My team bought me things while I was in the hospital before. When they were still my team. I used to have them in a box in the closet, but somehow lately I felt the need to put them out. Anyway, I didn't bring you here to ogle my stuff."

Genma sighed and took a sip of his tea. "So, tell me, Kakashi, why did you bring me here?"

Kakashi was still trying to figure out how best to start this conversation. Iruka had said Genma didn't know about what was upsetting him, but how Genma not knowing anything considering he was pretty much the hub of all gossip in Konoha was a little farfetched. Still, if Genma didn't know, it would be betraying Iruka's trust to tell him, and that wasn't something Kakashi wanted to do. He figured he'd start slow, and see what he could get Genma to admit without really asking much. "I spoke to Umino Iruka last night. Met up with him in the woods. He asked me if you had sent me, and it made me curious."

Suddenly Genma didn't have his usual half-asleep look anymore. "Why would I send you to talk to Iruka?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Because you're a stalker, and didn't think you could get away with it yourself anymore?"

Genma spit his senbon out, and it embedded itself in Kakashi's coffee table. "I'm not a stalker! I'm trying to help him because he's my friend. I'm concerned about the man!"

Kakashi eyed the senbon, which was a little closer to where his hand had been sitting than he was comfortable with. "Okay, so you're not a stalker. I get it. But what exactly is going on here, then? Because Iruka seemed pretty unhappy to be bothered, but it's obvious there's something wrong with him. After what I saw last night… if I could help him, I would. He's not my friend, but he's a shinobi of Konoha, and I won't abandon him anymore than I would any other comrade."

"Lower than scum, right. Of course, that's why you're concerned. Even though you and he have such a rocky history," said Genma thoughtfully. He plucked the senbon out of the wood on the table, wiped it on his shirt, and stuck in back in his mouth. "So, what can I tell you? He hasn't told me anything. He just cut all his ties, except at the Academy. No warning, nothing. No one seems to know, and most people don't seem to care. I know he was pretty unstable for a bit before that, but that's all I know." He thought for another moment, wishing he had his files to look at, but knowing he couldn't let Kakashi know those files even existed. "Come to think of it, I haven't heard too many rumors about his sudden withdrawal. A lot of people think Hokage made him leave the mission desk because he kept insulting the Jounin, and some other people think he just got too busy with the Academy. The only person I know of that he talks to is Naruto…" Genma's eyes lit up. "Why don't you talk to Naruto? He hasn't said much to me, because while he seems to not hate me or anything, we don't really have much of a history either way. But surely he'd talk to you!"

Kakashi thought about that one for a moment, and then decided it was worth a try. After a few minutes of discussion about how best to approach the subject with Naruto, and a not-very-convincing reassurance to Genma that he'd let him know if he came with something, he pushed Genma towards the door rather rudely and collapsed into his bed. This was entirely too much thinking, especially for not being a mission.


	6. Chapter 6

Iruka was on his way to the Academy when someone dropped from a roof and fell into step with him. He saw a glint of metal from the corner of his eye, followed by a glimpse of light brown hair hanging out from under a bandana. "Shiranui…" he began, in his best "sensei voice", but then he paused and said, "Genma, what now?"

"One very nosy copy ninja dragged me out of the mission room in the middle of my shift last night. Can you guess what he wanted to talk about?" said Genma, taking Iruka's arm in his own as they walked as if it were completely natural for him, which honestly it hadn't been in a long while.

Genma's words surprised Iruka enough that the gesture went pretty much unnoticed. "What did he tell you?"

Genma cocked his head. "What did he tell me? What does he know to tell me? He was the one asking me for information, not that I had any to give him even if I wanted to. I reminded him that the only adult you talk to these days is Naruto so I'd expect he's going to try that avenue of inquiry next. I doubt Naruto will say much, though, even if he makes it sound like he's saying a lot."

Iruka stopped abruptly and turned to face Genma, who shifted his arm so he was still holding onto Iruka without twisting anything. "You told him to talk to Naruto, and then came and told me? What kind of game are you two playing?"

"No game, Iruka. He came to me looking for answers because he says he's concerned about you, and I had to say something because of course I can't pretend not to know anything, not with my reputation. He would never believe that. So I dropped him the smallest bit of information I could get away with, and that's it."

Iruka shook his head. "Genma, you said a moment ago you didn't know anything, and now you're saying you didn't tell him everything you knew. Make up your mind."

"Think about it, Iruka. Everything I know, about you. Even if I don't know what's causing you to behave the way you are at the moment, I know more about you than probably anyone alive. Of course I have theories! But I wasn't going to tell him any of them any more than I've told you, because I'm not willing to go there unless you choose to talk to me. I just wanted to let you know what Kakashi was doing so you could decide how to deal with him, not get into the middle of whatever all this is about."

"I underestimated you," Iruka said softly. "I'm sorry. I have to go now, Genma, but… tomorrow night, dinner at my place? Just you and me? I'll pick you up at the mission room, when you're done." Genma just nodded numbly, and then Iruka was gone in a puff of smoke.

Iruka did check in at the Academy, but just long enough to ensure someone would take care of his class for him. There was no way he was letting this rest until after classes, and teaching pre-genin while distracted was far too dangerous. Instead, he found himself headed off to the Memorial Stone, his best bet to find Kakashi at this time of morning, based on Naruto's observations about the man.

Just as expected, before the Stone stood a very strange mourner indeed, mumbling softly to himself (or his ghosts perhaps) through a face mask, running a hand through his wild hair as if embarrassed at what he was saying occasionally. Iruka didn't really want to sneak up on him, both because of the rudeness value and the possibility of fatality, so he called out "Hatake!" as he neared. His voice sounded strangely sharp, even though he hadn't meant it to.

Kakashi looked up, and something in his single visible eye said he knew he was caught, but he didn't remark on it. "Yo, Iruka-sensei! Don't you have classes about now?"

"I got lost on the road of life…" he began, but couldn't keep from laughing at the glare that earned him. "I came to ask you why you were interrogating Genma about me, and to warn you not to try to pump Naruto for information. It wouldn't do you any good, and it would just hurt your relationship with him. He respects you, don't jeopardize that when you could just ask me yourself whatever it is you want to know."

Kakashi slouched closer to the Memorial Stone, as if expecting moral support from that angle. He held up one gloved hand, and started counting off points with his fingers. "One, I didn't interrogate Genma, we had a conversation. Two, I wasn't going to pump my former student for information, just inquire about the health of a mutual acquaintance. Three, Naruto does not, and never has, respected me."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "I won't even bother with your first two points, they're ridiculous. But since you seem honestly confused on the third, I'll tell you this: the other day Naruto was saying just because you make fun of someone doesn't mean you don't respect them, and I could have sworn he was thinking of you when he said it." Then he growled, realizing he'd been derailed. "None of that is the point! The point is… what is it you want to know about me, and why do you want to know it in the first place?"

Kakashi scuffed his feet, and ran a hand through his hair again. He looked absurdly like one of Iruka's students at that moment, and Iruka fought the urge to laugh. "You haven't been looking around this village, because you haven't been anywhere but the Academy. You didn't see me be rude to a poor girl just doing her job because she wasn't you. You don't see Kotetsu and Izumo looking out of the corner of their eyes as if you might show up any moment, and you don't see Genma slouching further and further down the wall as if he wants to just disappear. You don't see Tsunade raging at anyone and everyone about how she's so damn bored, and you don't hear Sakura-chan inquiring if Tsunade has heard anything from you lately, and if she can't just make up some excuse to summon you just to see that you're okay. Most of all, you don't seem to look in a mirror and see the dullness in your eyes, eyes that used to glow softly with kindness, glint with mischief, and burn with anger. Come to think of it… what are you looking at these days, Iruka-sensei, since you're not seeing any of that?"

It was absurd. It was a ridiculous speech from a man who spoke lies all the time and loved to annoy and terrorize others. It was crazy for any words to come out of his mouth that weren't coldly serious or carelessly casual. It was wrong for that look of pain to be in his eye, focused on a man he barely knew. Kakashi didn't know where any of it had come from, except that something about Iruka's sudden disappearance from his life was intolerable to him, even if their prior involvement had been nothing more than arguments over mission reports or students, and the occasional calm exchange of pleasantries.

Iruka remembered what Kakashi had said at the training grounds, that unlike Genma he would neither try to console him nor ask anything from him. This little speech certainly wasn't consoling, but Iruka felt it did indeed ask something from him, a response that would somehow make everything make sense. He couldn't give it, because he didn't have one. So instead he did something he never wound have imagined doing, and wasn't quite sure he would survive: he took two steps forward and pulled the accusatory, annoying, ridiculous man before him into a hug. The expected sharp pointy objects didn't make an appearance, nor did Kakashi pull away, and they stood there for several moments. Finally, Iruka pulled back and said "I haven't been looking anywhere. I haven't been able to see anything at all, until Genma finally pushed me enough to open my eyes. It's not Genma I'm looking at now, though, and I wonder if the person I am looking at is real at all, or some illusionary façade that's just one more of your cruel jokes."

Kakashi looked sad for a moment, and then looked around furtively, as if scanning the area for enemies. This seemed strange to Iruka, since they were in the middle of Konoha, and at this time of day people were used to Kakashi pretty much monopolizing this area. "You're not looking at me yet, Umino Iruka, but you can." Kakashi said, and before Iruka had time to figure that one out, he was staring into the suddenly unmasked face of the infamous masked Jounin.


	7. Chapter 7

It wasn't often that Iruka was rendered speechless. He was used to dealing with small children, after all, and thought he could probably handle pretty much anything. At this moment, though, he didn't know what to say. Kakashi's face was younger-looking then he had expected. Iruka was suddenly reminded that Kakashi was really only about a year older than him. It was an easy thing to forget, between the mask and his experience as a shinobi.

"Do you trust me now? I'm trusting you right now, I'm showing you a part of me that practically no one sees, just like you opened up to me at the training grounds. Is this enough for you, Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi stared right back at Iruka, examining his face just as intently as Iruka was his own. Coldness in Kakashi's visible eye seemed to belie his words; almost daring Iruka to say it wasn't enough, that he still didn't believe Kakashi wasn't playing some kind of game with him.

Iruka bowed his head, unable to meet that stare. "I trust you," he said softly. He meant it, because this was Hatake Kakashi, and whatever else he might be, he was a man who put his comrades above everything else.But it didn't make them friends, and it didn't mean he was going to let Kakashi any closer to him, impulsive hugs notwithstanding. Part of him said this, at least, but the part of him that was Iruka-sensei took in the cold eye and the vulnerable young face, and the lips that turned up in a real smile at his words, a smile he could SEE, and thought perhaps this man needed a friend himself.

"Then why don't you tell me exactly what is going on, so I can help you deal with it, or get you to the right person to do so? Then we can both go on with our lives, and you can yell at me all the time and terrorize everyone and paradoxically smother everyone with your infinite kindness at the same time."

That was enough for Iruka, definitely more then he could take. He exploded. "I shared something with you, that's true, impulsively and without realizing the consequences. I told you all I was willing to tell anyone, and I expected you to take that at face value and let it be! If you want to help me, you can stop interrogating my friends and family, stop making me feel guilty about all the people who for some reason seem to want me around, stop insisting I tell you things that aren't your business, and just be there for me when I want to talk, or not talk, like the other night! That's what helps me, that's what makes me feel better, not all this examining and rehashing and lecturing!" At the end of his rant, Iruka found himself physically shoving Kakashi away from him, suddenly disgusted by how close he was standing. Kakashi's eye widened in shock and dismay, and his smile went away. A carefully blank expression went over his face, but Iruka only saw it for a second, because Kakashi quickly covered it with his mask. In Kakashi's hand there was a kunai, but he didn't seem to even notice he'd grabbed it.

Iruka cringed. He hadn't meant to physically attack the man, and he hadn't meant to make him feel threatened. Suddenly he reverted to his extra-polite mode, bowing low. "Forgive me, Hatake-san. I appreciate your trust in me. I will cherish your thoughtful gesture, and in the future I hope I will be worthy of it." Then he turned and walked away, slowly, as if giving Kakashi a chance to stop him if he wished. When that didn't happen, Iruka picked up his speed and darted away, leaving Kakashi standing there alone. After a moment, he said quietly "What would you do for this man, if he were your friend, Obito?", and traced the name on the stone again, as he had been doing nearly every day for years now.

Naruto was exiting the Uchiha compound when Genma suddenly fell into step with him. "Whatever it is you want, this isn't a good time. Guarding my best friend who is essentially a prisoner is not a task that puts me in a good mood."

Genma was silent for a moment, and then he said "Watching my best friend fall apart and destroy himself doesn't put me in a good mood either. Neither does being interrogated about him by nosy Jounin who just might wind up causing him a lot of trouble, intentionally or not."

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks, and turned on Genma. "Who is messing with Iruka-sensei?"

Genma looked around. The street was a little too busy for this conversation, he decided. "Can we get out of the street first?"

Naruto's teeth were bared, and his eyes had a glint of red in them. "That kind of reaction, with just the slightest mention of Iruka," Genma thought, suppressing a shudder. He knew Naruto though, knew that Iruka loved him more than anything in the world, and that meant a lot in terms of his trust of the young man. So when Naruto turned and ran off down the street, he followed automatically, not caring where he was being led to.

They ended up at the same training ground where Naruto and Iruka had been sparring last time, sitting on the grass, and at Genma's inquiry, Naruto explained that he couldn't go to the other place where Iruka trained, and so they always met here to work out. "It seemed as good a place as any to talk about him. No one really comes by here much, except creepy stalkers, that is." Naruto grinned and winked on that last bit, and his eyes were now as blue as the sky above.

"Okay, here's the deal. You know what my job is, I'm betting, just as I'm betting that Iruka has told you every embarrassing childhood story about me there is. If I were doing my job, I'd ask you everything you know about Iruka, and about what's bothering him right now. I'd report to the Hokage everything I know, because really someone ought to be doing something about a less-than-stable shinobi, especially one with the skill and security clearance of Iruka, regardless of rank."

Naruto looked like he was going to protest, but Genma flicked his senbon to the other side of his mouth and held up his hand. "I said 'if', Naruto-kun. I won't do that. In fact, what I want to do is ensure that whatever Iruka's issue is, it doesn't get out because he doesn't want it to. I have some theories about what is bothering him, and I'd bet everything I own that you know the whole story, but I'm not after that. I came here because Kakashi is planning to ask you, and he says it's because he wants to help but, while I'd trust Kakashi with my life in the field, I don't trust him with Iruka's sanity in this case. I don't want Kakashi to hear anything Iruka isn't willing to tell him himself, and so I wanted to warn you that you weren't to give anything away. It's not that I think you would talk to just anyone, or spill Iruka's secrets, but if it's your old sensei asking, it could be a little hard to keep things to yourself." Exhaustion and worry were clear in every line of Genma's face, and it wasn't a look that was often seen on him. Naruto's mind raced, but his easy smile belied his thoughts.

"Why is Kakashi-sensei involved in this at all? He wasn't there for the thing that upset Iruka-sensei, and he's never been a part of Iruka-sensei's life except through me, or mission-related stuff. What is his motivation here? Is he perving on my Iruka-sensei or something?" asked Naruto, that last part said with a light tone and then a laugh.

"Heh, I don't know about that last bit, but I think it's mainly some idea of helping the guy. You know how Kakashi is, with all his teamwork and stuff. I think he's seeing Konoha as his team right now and Iruka as an integral part of Konoha that is suddenly in danger. I know he means well, whatever he's doing, but I don't know that he won't make things worse instead of better." Genma paused, suddenly imagining what it could mean if Naruto's "joke" were the truth. "If he's 'perving on' Iruka, as you say, that could make some interesting fireworks!"

The fox-grin made another appearance. "As interesting as you perving on Iruka-sensei?"

Genma winced. "What a disaster that was! As friends, we can take a step back and not be so affected by each other, but even then Iruka and I pick up each other's emotions too much. A grumpy Iruka means a grumpier me, and an angry me means a completely out-of-control Iruka…" Suddenly the senbon hanging from Genma's mouth was in his hand and then flying, striking dead center on a practice target across the field. "I know what happened now! That's it, isn't it? The last time I saw Iruka lose control like that, it was right before he started acting funny, and…" Genma paled, realizing what he was saying.

"Don't ask me. I won't tell you anything. I won't tell Kakashi-sensei anything either," said Naruto darkly. Then, he sat up and folded his legs in front of him, looking far more like the child Naruto that he had been not so long ago. "Not that I know anything, of course. I'm only a dobe. I have to go find some mischief to get into to annoy Tsunade-baachan now… I hear she's bored!" And with a flash, Naruto was springing up and away, his blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight.


	8. Chapter 8

Kakashi was running through a dark forest when the thought struck him suddenly that Iruka hadn't always been a teache

Kakashi was running through a dark forest when the thought struck him suddenly that Iruka hadn't always been a teacher. He'd known that, of course. No one was born a teacher, much less a teacher at a shinobi academy. Obviously Iruka had been a Genin himself, and then become a Chuunin, the same way anyone else would, and started teaching at some point after that. But Kakashi hadn't known Iruka then, and so he didn't have any idea what the "real" shinobi Iruka had been like. Surely he'd been in missions like everyone else, and surely he'd both killed and seen others die in front of him.

It was something that Kakashi had never thought about before, and suddenly it made the current situation make a lot more sense. He had been thinking of Iruka practically as a civilian, despite the fact that he had been a favorite of Sandaime and now seemed to be in the favor of Godaime as well. All of these things were running through Kakashi's mind even as he reviewed his orders, executed his mission, made the required kill, and set out for home. None of this really took Kakashi's full attention, not this kind of routine assassination. Perhaps if he'd been fighting missing-nin or working with a team he would have had to abandon his musings in favor of his mission, but not for this kind of work.

So he thought, and the blood on his hands made him wonder how much blood Iruka had seen, and if whatever injury he'd dealt to an ally had bled much. He'd said no one was seriously hurt, but they were shinobi, and seriously hurt could be a very relative term. Anyone who could be put back together by the medics and thrown back into the field was usually not considered "seriously injured". So that didn't say a lot, really.

Too much thinking, he realized. He was being too curious, and that was exactly why Iruka was angry with him. If he'd just learn to let it go, not think about it, not wonder who and what and why, and just BE there for the man, then perhaps they could be friends. He had to learn to let it go, but he found now that he'd though of the young Iruka on missions, he was wondering even more what that Iruka had been like. He couldn't exactly ask anyone, though, because Iruka would know immediately, just like with Genma. Now that Kakashi thought about that, he wasn't too happy with Genma over the whole fiasco, considering that Kakashi had trusted Genma as his friend as well. A few minutes were spent thinking of horrible ways to torture Genma for revenge.

These thoughts lingered with Kakashi even as he made his way back through the gates of Konoha. This particular report didn't go to the missions desk, so he headed straight to ANBU headquarters with it. Done with that, he headed home, thinking maybe he'd get a bit of sleep and then try to figure out how to approach this situation anew without causing any more trouble than he already had. At least until he was back in Iruka's good graces, at which point he hoped life could go back to normal, and his "teasing Iruka-sensei" time could go back to being the highlight of his day.

While Kakashi was planning a very painful demise for him, Genma was sitting in the middle of a very cluttered little file room, hidden deep within the Hokage Tower. Around him on the floor were several files with names on them, and one by one he inspected them and then set them back down. So far he had eliminated just about every person he could think of that was close to Iruka, based on recent medical reports. He couldn't find anyone who had been treated for an injury around the right time, especially since anything non-mission-related should have stood out fairly well. It just wasn't adding up. Genma was fairly sure he was on the right track... that time Genma been very angry at Tsunade over a stupid assignment that nearly cost him his life, and Iruka had acted as if he were completely losing it, and then right after that Genma had stopped seeing him anywhere. He'd just disappeared, and it wasn't until Genma tracked him down to the Academy that he found out he was even still teaching. But all of his friends had clear records, and surely if Iruka had attacked someone but not done any damage, he would be this upset over it.

"You're not doing you job, Genma-kun," came a soft voice from behind him, and Genma was amazed the woman had managed to sneak up on him, especially in her high-heeled shoes, and it such a small space.

"Of course I'm doing my job, Hokage-sama. Why else would I be here?" replied Genma, giving her his signature half-lidded smile, twitching his senbon slightly.

Tsunade stooped down and picked up the files, one by one. "Mitsurashi Anko, Kamizuki Izumo, Hagane Kotetsu, Niamashi Raidou, Uzamaki Naruto... " she trailed off. "But you're not investigating any of these people. You're investigating someone they are close to, and yet you haven't spoken to ME about him. Your job is to report to the Hokage as soon as you have a suspicion something is wrong. You wouldn't go to this much effort if you didn't suspect something, and you haven't said a word. In fact, I haven't gotten a real report from you in days, and you haven' t been on any missions either."

"There hasn't been anything to report," Genma said with a shrug. "All of this is just me trying to get to the bottom of one rumor, and whether it's a problem or not is yet to be seen."

Tsunade rolled her eyes and threw the files at him. "Stop it, Genma-kun. You're misusing your security clearance to dig into a friend's business, and it's not appropriate. Moreover, if it helps, I'll just come out and tell you: It was me. A kunai to the throat, if you want to know, and he got through my defenses because I trust him. I still trust him, and I'm keeping it out of any official reports because I don't want to have to have him executed for treason. Unless you want that to happen, you'll keep your lips closed tight around that piece of metal you insist on carrying around in them, and get back to doing your real job."

Said piece of metal was currently stuck in Genma's leg, where it fell about half-way through Tsunade's speech. He said nothing as Tsunade picked up his files and started putting them away, said nothing as she stopped by his side and put her hand on his head with an affection that hadn't been evident in her words, said nothing as she finally walked out the room and let the door click shut behind her. He could have sat there all night, he thought, but he realized his leg was numb, and what he said was "FUCK!" because he realized the neurotoxin he kept on that senbon was now in his bloodstream.


	9. Chapter 9

When Iruka entered the mission room, there was chaos

When Iruka entered the mission room, there was chaos. For a moment he thought Kakashi had somehow found out he was stopping by, and caused trouble just to prove himself right about the effect of Iruka's absence. When he got to the center of the room, however, he found it was a rather green-looking Genma who had everyone's attention. It took Iruka about two seconds to figure out what had probably happened, and he groaned. "I thought you grew out of the 'poisoning yourself' thing, Gen-chan!" he called out across the room, across a distance between them that apparently had been an illusion all along.

Every head in the room turned, and Iruka could feel himself blushing, as he waved a hand in greeting. He was rescued by Genma, who swayed dramatically as if he might fall over, which prompted several of the shinobi close to him to get ready to catch, and Tsunade to let out a full, loud laugh. "It was a desperate bid for your attention, I'm sure, Iruka-kun!" Tsunade proclaimed brightly, but her practiced healer's eyes were taking in Iruka, looking for signs of depression, insomnia, or any kind of lingering mental unrest. She had to admit, Iruka looked better today than Naruto had been reporting to her for the past few weeks. He was wearing a t-shirt with what looked like training pants, and even his hitae-ate had been left at home, but his characteristic ponytail was in place. And now he was rubbing his scar shyly, which meant he had noticed her scrutiny, and it was time to stop staring.

Genma hadn't quite managed to extricate himself from his crowd of nosy onlookers, who seemed to be wavering between concerned and amused, so Iruka looked around for someone safe to talk to. After crossing off most of his friends, he meandered up the pretty Chuunin at the desk, and introduced himself. After the formalities were out of the way, he asked, "Soseki-san, how are you settling in here?"

Yori blinked up at him. She was fairly sure this young man was the guy she'd replaced, but what people had said about him wasn't adding up for her. Even if his t-shirt said "Mischief" on it, he was the very essence of polite and kind. There was a warmth in his dark eyes that she hadn't expected, and she was pretty certain her heart was attempting to turn into a puddle of goo within her. "Just fine, Umino-san," she said softly. "It's a nice job."

Iruka chuckled. "The paperwork part of it is okay, I guess. Even interesting. But I can't say I agree with you that it's a nice job, between the complete lack of respect and trying to read reports that my students could have done a better job of." He was looking straight at Yori, but his teacher-senses were reaching out somewhere behind him, wondering what the Jounin behind him were making of his comment. As expected, there was a slight shuffling of feet, and somewhere a nervous titter, which he was pretty sure came from Anko.

Yori shook her head, but before she could reply, Tsunade was click-clacking her way over to Iruka. "Iruka-kun, while I would love for you to talk some sense into my new flunky here, I would suggest you schedule a full training session later. Genma-kun claims you're supposed to be making him dinner, and that means you get stuck taking care of him tonight!"

Iruka rolled his eyes, and glared up at the Hokage, then remembered and bowed to her politely. "Yes, Hokage-sama."

One of Tsunade's very dangerous fists landed softly on top of his head. "Don't do that, Iruka-kun. Go get your friend, go home, and have a nice dinner. If he shows any signs of serious danger from his own stupidity, let me know. But you can let him be a little miserable if you like, as long as he's not in danger... he might even learn his lesson."

"Hey! I carry the antidote on me! And it's not stupid, what if your worthless Hokage ass gets attacked and I have to save you? What if..." Genma started, sounding outraged but managing to still look bored if anything.

Iruka laughed, waved at the new desk Chuunin who was keeping her face carefully blank, and wandered across the room to retrieve his dinner guest. "Come on, Gen-chan, let's get you out of here before you manage to stab someone else too," he joked, earning a laugh from the gaggle of curious shinobi still standing around. He winked at Tsunade and then turned on them, bellowing, "And you! All of you! Don't you have work to do? Is Konoha suddenly so short on work that her shinobi have nothing better to do than stand around laughing at a wounded comrade?" Then he heaved a protesting Genma over his shoulder and teleported, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and some very chastised-looking Jounin and Chuunin, who cleared the room within seconds... and one very pleased Hokage, who giggled and pounded on the desk until her hand went through it.


	10. Chapter 10

Dinner went much better than Iruka had expected when he invited Genma, despite Genma's current condition, or perhaps b

Dinner went much better than Iruka had expected when he invited Genma, despite Genma's current condition, or perhaps because of it. After appearing in his apartment, Iruka unceremoniously dumped Genma on his couch. "I could have made it here by myself!" Genma protested, the second he was put down.

Iruka shrugged. "The exit was kind of fun, though. Dramatic, don't you think?"

Genma rolled his eyes. "How do you manage to keep that 'innocent-sensei" thing going with that sort of behavior, anyway, Ruka?"

Another shrug, and then "What do you want for dinner? I had a couple ideas, but if that was #23 you poisoned yourself with, you're probably not going to want anything too heavy."

"Taking care of me, as usual, eh?" Genma started to say he didn't care what Iruka made, but he figured he might as well keep the nostalgic ambiance going while he had it. "Miso soup. Rice. You for dessert?" The comment earned him a tap on the head, and Iruka headed off into the kitchen, fully expecting his friend to find some way to amuse himself while Iruka cooked.

As expected, when Iruka came to check on Genma, he found him poring over photo albums. It wasn't a surprise, but he was surprised to find that Genma also had one of Iruka's journals, and was glancing back and forth between the two. "You left it next to the photo albums," was all Genma would say by way of explanation, without even looking up.

Iruka stooped to see what particular entry had Genma's attention, and Genma took the opportunity to pull out his ponytail. Iruka glared but didn't move to fix it. After reading just a line or two or the book in his friend's hands, he blushed and snatched the journal away. His only comment, however, was "It seemed to make sense to file it next to that album, considering they line up with the events. I suppose it's weird to be shy about the journal but not the album, but... there's emotional stuff in that!" They both laughed at that part, and Iruka looked around. "Stay here, we'll eat in here. It's not a huge meal or anything."

"Don't forget sake!" Genma called.

That brought Iruka back to the living room door. "You are NOT drinking with #23 in your system still, antidote or no!"

Genma shook his head. "Not for me. For you. You look like you need a drink. Loosen up, Ruka, we're old friends here, aren't we?"

Iruka shook his head, but when he had finished bringing in the food, sake came out as well. Neither said anything about it. In fact, dinner was a pretty quiet affair, interspersed with short bursts of gossip and a (mostly but not completely false) story about how Genma wound up poisoned that day.

It wasn't until after dinner was over and everything was cleared away that the recent distance between them came up. "Oh, you should have been at Anko's party a couple weeks ago, some of your ex-students showed up and we had so much fun embarrassing them! Why weren't you..." Genma started, and then realized what he was saying and thought _"That's it, he's going to kick me out in the street, and I'll never see him again..." _Before Iruka could even respond, though, Genma waved his hands in the air. "Never mind that! Did I tell you the funny thing Naruto said to me the other day??"

Naruto was of course the perfect topic to get Iruka's mind off Genma's little slip, but he had to be a little inventive to follow it up. He didn't really have a funny story, but he tried to keep enough truth in to be believable. Not that it mattered, since this was Iruka he was talking to, and he tended to just let Genma say whatever he wanted. It was nice for Genma, who was used to being censored or chastised constantly, and nice for Iruka, who was used to being expected to protest anything offensive or off-color.

Genma was debating calling it a night. Iruka was supposed to "look after him", but he didn't want to push his luck with Iruka's hospitality. Despite the fun they were having, he knew Iruka still wasn't really quite over his depression and fear over the incident with Tsunade, and Genma hadn't missed that based on the timing, that whole incident was partially a matter of Iruka's emotions playing off his own. So he was just getting ready to tell Iruka he felt okay and wanted to head home when the knock on the door came. Iruka stood and excused himself to answer it, but the ever-curious Genma followed him to the door.

The scene that met Kakashi at Iruka's door was not one he expected. There was Iruka in casual gear, his hair down, and leaning against the wall behind him was Genma, missing his senbon as well as his vest and hitae-ate. Iruka's greeting, however, didn't make Kakashi feel unwelcome or as if he were interrupting anything, so he wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation.

"I was just going to... umm... apologize," Kakashi said lamely. "I have to go now, there's this little old lady..."

Genma moved up behind Iruka and draped an arm around his waist. "Oh come on, Kakashi, it's just a friendly little get-together. You could come join us, if you like," he added with a wink.

"Don't you dare move, Kakashi," Iruka growled and then turned on Genma. "Shiranui-san, if you don't get your hands off me, I will throw you out in the street, poison or no poison. Or better yet, I'll mix all your senbon up, and then NEXT time you poison yourself, it'll be with something much nastier." Genma stepped back, holding his hands in front of him, and decided to beat a hasty retreat to his former spot on Iruka's couch.

When Iruka turned back to Kakashi, he was smiling broadly again. "I'm sorry, I'd love to talk, but my idiot friend stabbed himself with his own stupid senbon and can't be left alone. I'm rather busy tomorrow at the Academy, but in the evening I'm free if you are."

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and pretended to be thinking about whether tomorrow was a good time. In reality, he was thinking about whether there was ever a good time, if he shouldn't just leave it at an apology and try to get on with his Iruka-drama-free life. But his mouth was saying "Sure, tomorrow, what time?" before he was sure that was what he wanted to say, and before he knew it, he had agreed to stop by Iruka's at six the next evening.

Genma not only didn't wind up kicked out in the street, Iruka refused to let him leave. Genma's mind came up with any number of interesting jokes about Iruka's motives in this matter, but before he could even start with them, Iruka said, "Naruto claims you're smarter than you look. Prove him right."


	11. Chapter 11

Six o'clock on a sunny Friday afternoon found Hatake Kakashi standing in front of the Memorial Stone. This wasn't a strange thing, especially since he didn't have a Genin team anymore, and most of the missions he was currently taking took place under cover of darkness. What was surprising, however, was that while he still wore his mask and hitae-ate, he wasn't otherwise in uniform. Instead, he wore a pair of dark blue slacks and a light blue button-up, both of which were freshly-bought. What was always surprising, though no one but Kakashi knew about it, was that he was supposed to be somewhere else at that moment, and he was wishing he had the nerve to be on time.

He didn't have the nerve. Being on time would show Iruka that he was trying too hard, and putting than on top of the obvious effort put into his clothing, it would just give totally the wrong impression. Between the moment he had realized Iruka's absence from his life was completely unacceptable and this moment, he had started to wonder exactly what it was he did want or expect from Iruka's presence in his life... and he still wasn't quite sure. His emotional reaction to seeing Genma so casually in Iruka's home and touching Iruka, made Kakashi think perhaps he wasn't just after friendship here. But was that really possible, even with the normal stable Iruka, not to mention this new unstable one?

And just what was the deal with Genma anyway? Iruka hadn't reacted well to Genma touching him in front of Kakashi the previous evening, but the more Kakashi thought about it, before this whole incident he had seen Genma touching Iruka a lot. Typically in the mission room, and typically in a teasing manner, but Iruka didn't typically protest unless someone was looking. So was the problem that Genma was touching Iruka or that someone saw it? Kakashi wasn't sure, and again, he wasn't sure he wanted to be involved in any more drama. If he wanted drama, he had Icha Icha for that, and when he was tired of it, he could always put the book away.

"I'm not as patient with adults as I am with children, you know." The voice broke into Kakashi's thoughts, and now that he thought about it, he'd felt the chakra but ignored it as "ally" without really interrupting his thought process. He turned slowly, trying to pretend he wasn't surprised. "Old lady again?" asked Iruka, sounding cross, but he was smiling. Iruka was dressed casually, another t-shirt and a pair of loose drawstring pants. Todays t-shirt said "Don't even think about it."

Kakashi laughed and gestured. "Should I not even think about lying to you?"

Iruka shrugged. "I'm a teacher, what do you expect? I know when I'm being lied to. On the other hand, there are people I let lie to me, because they're my friends and it's part of who they are. And you, well, no one can expect you not to lie, but I would hope you won't lie when it counts." He paused, and then slapped himself in the forehead. "Sorry. So serious." He eyed Kakashi up and down. "You dressed up. We going out somewhere?"

"If you want to," said Kakashi, trying to keep up with Iruka's sudden change of topic on top of his own confusing thoughts. For a genius, he was starting to feel very dumb. "I mean, I just didn't know, so I wanted to be prepared."

"_Where did this Kakashi come from?_" Iruka thought. He was so used to the smug, arrogant, playful Kakashi, the one who had torn him apart when he questioned his judgment all those years ago, but also teased him on a regular basis and seemed to enjoy teasing his ex-students just as much. This thoughtful and shy Kakashi was new to Iruka, and he wasn't sure yet what he thought of him. "Let's go out, then. Nowhere too fancy, I'm not dressed for it, but somewhere with decent food. And not ramen, please. I get enough of that. Come on, we'll walk and see what looks good."

They walked slowly through the streets of Konoha, talking about this restaurant and that, considering and rejecting options, for what seemed like a long while. Kakashi felt strange without his uniform, and one of the weapons he had managed to hide in his clothing was positioned strangely, making him uncomfortable. He was out of practice hiding things in civilian clothes. Iruka seemed perfectly comfortable, and Kakashi wondered what type of weapons (if any) he had hidden around his person. Surely not even Iruka would walk the streets of a hidden village without any weapons, it just wasn't done. Not just as a matter of safety, but... it just wasn't very shinobi-like.

Finally, Iruka grew bored of the thinking and weighing options and considering everything, and said "That's it. Next restaurant we walk by, we're going in. I don't care if it's completely formal and I feel totally out of place, I want to eat something!" Kakashi snickered, and Iruka punched his shoulder playfully, then flinched visibly. Desperate to put him at ease, Kakashi did the first thing that came to mind... snatched up the hand that had just struck him and kissed it. Iruka blushed, then smiled. "Wow, you must be really hungry too, if my deciding where to eat had that big an impression."

The next place they chanced upon was neither too fancy nor particularly interesting-looking. It was a simple little establishment with a few tiny booths and one very friendly looking waitress, and not a single diner in sight. Stepping inside, Iruka looked as if he might change his mind, but Kakashi grabbed his arm and pulled him over to a booth. The booth he selected was in the back, and it was placed in an alcove, so that both booth seats were against opposing walls. It was a nice touch actually, for a restaurant in a hidden village, because paranoid shinobi wouldn't really want to sit with their backs facing the door, and this way neither diner would have to. Of course, it could also have been created that way for the illusion of privacy, in a romantic fashion, but something about this place said "realism" rather than "romance".

The waitress turned out to be just as friendly as she looked, and the menu was fairly basic. It didn't seem the sort of place where you dithered for an hour over what you were going to eat, that was for sure. They ordered quickly, and then sat sort of staring at each other for a moment after the waitress left. "So, you said you didn't want to talk, the day before yesterday. And then last night, you said you did but couldn't at the moment. What about now?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka grimaced. "Way to get right to the point. What happened to 'underneath the underneath' and all that?"

Kakashi laughed softly, but it sounded almost a rueful laugh. "Even I get tired of that kind of thinking sometimes. I get enough of it in the field. I apologized already, because I was wrong, and I expected something from you that you couldn't give. I was right the first time, and you don't need me to console you or expect anything from you. So I'm here, and I want to be your friend, and I'm hoping that's okay with you. And I'm laying myself bare for you in a way I just don't do normally, and I don't know why, and it's not entirely comfortable."

Iruka cocked his head, thinking. There were a lot of things running through his head, everything that had passed between himself and Kakashi since that day at the training grounds, where he'd impulsively decided to confide in the man. In Iruka's mind, that time stretched out as if it had been months, when in reality it was just a few days ago. Things clicked into place, slowly, and then Iruka gave a small smile. "Hatake-san..." he started, then shook his head and started over. "Kakashi, are we on a date?"

That wasn't the response Kakashi had expected, and he didn't miss the fact that it wasn't really an answer. Still, he was trying to be the bigger person here and give Iruka some leeway because of his apparent recent mental trauma, so he considered the question. "It didn't seem as if we were, but I'd like it if we are," he finally replied.

Iruka's small smile turned into a beaming grin, and he replied, "A date. With Kakashi. A date with Kakashi." Then he burst into a fit of laughter. Kakashi's eye grew cold again immediately, and Iruka reached out a hand and put it over one of Kakashi's. "No, I didn't mean it that way. It's absurd, that's all. Not because I would never want to be on a date with you, but because I would never have imagined it, for a million reasons that all have to do with my own insecurities." He stared at his own hand, sitting there on top of Kakashi's, and wondered exactly why this man was suddenly so easy to touch . He didn't move his hand, but he did look around, as if trying to think of something else to comment on. "Well, I hope at least the food is good, since this is our first date."


	12. Chapter 12

As soon as the whole "Is this a date

As soon as the whole "Is this a date?" question was cleared up, Kakashi was a lot more comfortable. Well, after that and a trip to the bathroom to take care of the shuriken that had been stabbing him in the leg from its hiding place. Kakashi was really going to have to brush up on hiding things in civilian clothes if he planned to wear them. Rejoining Iruka, he started easy conversation about mutual acquaintances, recent happenings around Konoha, and the ex-students both men had in common. Now that Sasuke was back in Konoha, it was a much easier topic for Kakashi, even though Sasuke's return had been very trying itself with all the politics involved.

The food turned out to be very simple, but also very good. Iruka grinned. "So, my bet is... this place is run by a retired ninja."

Kakashi thought for a second. "But if it were, wouldn't more shinobi frequent it? And if that were the case, shouldn't one of us had heard of it? And what's it doing so far in the civilian section?"

Another grin from Iruka. "You're not all that social, and half the time people treat me like I might as be a civilian. So why would anyone have told us? I bet you that some of the higher-level shinobi come in here all the time, and that the owner knows them all by name."

Kakashi picked up the story. "Not only that, but I bet on busy nights there is a lot of trading war stories, and when the owner opens his mouth to speak, everyone listens intently. He's some kind of underground hero of sorts and we've never even heard of the guy because we don't move in the right circles. We're missing a treasure trove of information, because we're the only people in here and he hasn't bothered to come out just to greet us!"

Iruka sighed, looking around. "Poor us. We get an excellent dinner and a whole restaurant to ourselves, but is that enough for us? Oh no! We want to know what's 'underneath the underneath'." Iruka's face was straight as he said it, but when he shot Kakashi a sideways look, the corner of his mouth turned up.

"If you don't stop using my lines, Sensei, I'm going to retire from being 'The Copy Ninja' and hand that title off to you," Kakashi threatened, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I just figured it was my turn to tease you, after years of being teased by you. I'm starting to understand why it's so much fun for you. You might not blush like I do, but you make some funny gestures when you're embarrassed, you know."

Kakashi stilled. "I do not. Ever. I have no tells. I am an elite shinobi." His face relaxed into it's typical lazy expression for a second, as if a wall had come up between him and Iruka, but before Iruka could really worry, Kakashi was kicking softly at his foot. "There, take that!" Iruka could have sworn that if he wasn't wearing the mask, Kakashi would have stuck his tongue out at him.

Their laughter filled the small space, and by the time they were finished with their meal, they had concluded it was a very good thing it wasn't a busier restaurant. Otherwise, they might have gotten kicked out. Iruka looked around for the waitress to pay, and suddenly she was right there, just like she had been every time they needed a drink refilled. Good service, good food, spartan atmosphere. Definitely someplace Iruka would come again, if an unlikely setting for a first date. Iruka shook his head when Kakashi offered to pay, and took care of the bill himself. His thought process was something along the lines of "Now I can say he owes me a dinner, and secure another date."

Outside, there was a refreshing breeze blowing, and Iruka smiled and paused to enjoy it. Kakashi watched quizzically, not quite understanding for a moment, and then once again marveled in the dual nature of this man. Simplicity and complexity, all wrapped up in each other, layer after layer. As he stood there now basking in the feel of the breeze on his skin, he looked pure and young, and Kakashi once again found himself imagining this man killing, fighting, bleeding. It wasn't something he could understand, not yet, but he wanted to.

They walked, and spoke not at all, and somewhere along the way Iruka found himself linking his arm through Kakashi's as Genma had done to him just a couple days before. It seemed a natural move for him, but Kakashi's eye widened a little and he looked for a moment as if he might step away, but didn't.

"I wouldn't expect a schoolteacher to walk through town being so cozy with another guy," he remarked, his tone light but the look in his eye saying he was serious.

Laughter, and then a shrug from Iruka. "I dated Genma. Everyone knew. There's no way not to know when it comes to Genma, you know how big his mouth is. I was younger then, but I was still dating him when I got my Academy job, and while some people were a little strange about it, it didn't keep me from getting the job. It's not like most shinobi aren't fairly open sexually, just that people expect me to act like a civilian, which I'm not. I could live to be as old as the Third was when he died, or I could die tomorrow protecting my students. I've nearly died that way before. These things don't matter to me any more than they do to you, or perhaps even not as much, considering you're the one who brought it up."

"I didn't know you dated Genma. I'd guessed recently, but I didn't know when it happened." Kakashi frowned. "Come to think of it, I probably didn't know you existed then. And while Genma is my friend, I don't exactly keep up with who he's seeing, considering his reputation. He's always acted like he was chasing you, though, as long as I've known you, so I just assumed you'd always turned him down."

Iruka pulled Kakashi closer, but didn't look at him or stop walking. "Don't worry about Genma. Don't bother being jealous of him, even if he's being stupid like last night. He's not chasing me, it's just part of how we interact. We've been friends for a very long time, but even if he asked now I wouldn't date him. Wouldn't have even if I didn't have my eye on someone else, which I do." He steered Kakashi around a turn, aiming for his home, wondering if after the Genma conversation it would be any use inviting him in.

The invitation, however, went by without either man really noticing it. In fact, before they realized it, they were sitting on Iruka's living room couch talking easily. Kakashi's initial impression of Iruka's apartment was that it was emptier than expected. No knickknacks, no little kid drawings, no "World's Best Teacher" junk sitting around. The living room contained a television, a bookcase, a coffeetable, the very comfortable couch, and a couple of weapons hanging on the wall. His eyes roamed to the bookcase, but most of the books there seemed to be photo albums and bound books with no titles on the spines. Kakashi's curiosity was piqued, but Iruka followed his gaze and said, "Oh no. You are not looking through my photo albums. It's embarrassing enough when people who are IN those photos look." A raised eyebrow from Kakashi, but no further comment.

Iruka studied Kakashi for a moment, and then grinned, deciding how to change the topic. "So, we're alone now. You don't have to wear that mask since I've already seen your face, do you?"

Kakashi's eye snapped up to meet Iruka's, and the expression he saw there was quite mischievous. He wasn't sure if he should be scared or excited. "I guess not," he said slowly, and reached up to strip off the mask. With a shrug he tossed his hitae-ate off, though he only left his eye open for a moment before closing it. "Better?" he asked.

Iruka... purred? And pounced. And then Kakashi was being kissed, not the kind of sweet chaste kiss he would have expected on a first date with Iruka if he had thought about it, but a hard hungry kiss. It didn't last long, but Iruka pulled back just far enough to look at Kakashi, as if waiting to see if he was going to protest. When Kakashi smiled at him, he found himself being kissed again, even harder this time, and when he opened his lips, Iruka's tongue dove in as if eager to taste him. This aggressiveness was not something Kakashi had expected from the Chuunin, and not something he would normally have wanted from anyone, but this was Iruka, and he wasn't just anyone.

When Iruka's body pressed into his, all thoughts went out of his mind for a moment, but when Iruka's hands started unbuttoning Kakashi's shirt, Kakashi caught them in his own and pulled back just enough to break the kiss. "Iruka, it's not that I'm not liking this, but... I really want more dates, and somehow I don't think that would happen if we got carried away on this one."

Iruka's eyes grew wide, and he realized he was straddling Kakashi and pretty much mauling him. He blushed and turned his eyes away, but when he tried to stand up and pull away, Kakashi's arms went around him, holding him in place. "Iruka, it's okay. We're shinobi, I know. Possible instant death and all that, always having to do what we want while we have the time. But I would really, really like to be positive here and imagine that we're both going to survive another week, or another two weeks, and have a couple more dates, and then we can do this stuff and not worry about regretting it, okay?"

More blushing from Iruka, and he still didn't quite look at Kakashi. "I wouldn't have been like this, normally. Things have been so strange lately, though, and I was happy, and savoring it." A pause, and then the blush faded and Iruka looked Kakashi straight in the eye. "When can I see you again?"

Kakashi wasn't sure he'd ever felt so wanted in his life. Sure, he had a fan club, and just about any man or woman he knew would fall into his bed if he asked. But this man wanted more than that, because it was always more than that with Iruka, and Kakashi knew it then instantly. "Whenever you want. I'll even be on time, for you," Kakashi replied, his voice sounded slightly husky to himself, at which point he realized was still forcing Iruka not to move from his lap, and his body was still responding to that. Resolutely he let go of the other man, and Iruka slowly moved away, standing close enough still that one of his legs was touching Kakashi's.

"Tomorrow night?" said Iruka, knowing that was too soon, knowing he sounded needy, and not caring.

"Tomorrow night. Six. I'll be here, you won't have to come looking for me. I promise." At that, Kakashi stood, Iruka moving awkwardly backwards to give him room, and before he could move away Kakashi kissed him softly, then picked up his discarded hitae-ate and mask, not putting them on yet. He walked towards the door, his back straight, obvious self-control in the gesture, and then turned and smiled broadly, waved, and winked at Iruka. "Thanks for the best first date ever, Sensei. I take back every word I ever said about you being boring!" Then the mask was back in place, and he was walking out the door.

Iruka collapsed on his couch, and then laughed until he couldn't breathe. He wondered if Genma would believe that he had just jumped the Copy-nin, and then been turned down, because Hatake Kakashi, of all people, wanted to take it slow.


	13. Chapter 13

It was past midnight, and Umino Iruka was stomping around his kitchen making tea. This was quite out of character for him, but he couldn't sleep and he was very grumpy about it. He wanted nothing more than to be unconscious, so that when he woke up he could work at the Academy for half a day, maybe squeeze in lunch with Naruto, and then visit Genma before his date. But his mind wouldn't turn off, no matter what meditation methods or relaxing techniques he tried. Sighing, he turned his stove off and abandoned the tea, which he didn't really want anyway.

Instead he found himself getting dressed and running around the village for a bit. He pretty much only used the teleportation jutsu for dramatic exits and emergencies, preferring the actual sensation of real physical exertion, and taking in the sights along the way as well. Finally he found himself at the door to Genma's house. Shrugging, he decided he might as well drop in on his friend now and tell his story, instead of waiting for later. If Genma were asleep, he could always just leave, after all. Making up his mind, Iruka dug into his pocket for the key, put it in the lock, and sent a pulse of chakra out as he turned the key in the lock. The traps recognized Iruka's chakra just like he had designed them to, and he stepped into the entryway unhindered.

Genma's house was big and old, one of the first houses built in Konoha. Exactly how he wound up with this dwelling was one of those mysteries everyone had a different story for, but whatever the reason, it was a nice place. Genma loved it, and kept it lavishly decorated in antique styles, as well as enjoying always having extra space for friends needing a place to stay. Iruka remembered when he had lived there himself, and smiled softly. Iruka's senses told him that Genma wasn't asleep at all, and he followed his instincts to a large room at the back of the house. From the doorway, he could see Genma sitting in the middle of the floor on a cushion, wearing nothing but a pair of old flannel pajama pants, the floor around him littered with scrolls and files. For a moment, Iruka just took in the scene, Genma's brown hair falling free without his bandana to contain it, those heavy-lidded eyes focused intently, the lithe muscles under smooth light skin. Then Genma looked up, and flicked his senbon in Iruka's direction, and the spell was broken. "See something you want, Ruka?" he leered.

Iruka grinned, moved further into the room, and cleared a space to sit next to his friend. "Bringing your work home with you, I see?" he asked.

Genma nodded, then sighed. "To be brutally honest, _Hokage-sama _thinks I've been slacking a little too much lately. I've been caught up in personal stuff, and I haven't been focusing enough. So I'm trying to get caught up, before she decides to dump my spy ass back in ANBU full-time and get me back to doing real work." Genma made a face.

"Hey, at least you don't teach hordes of mini-ninjas!" said Iruka with a grin.

"Mmm, that's a point," said Genma, grinning back. "I swear, I don't know how you do it!"

Iruka shrugged. "I don't either, but apparently it works for me. They love me, and I'm pretty fond of the little punks too." Then he remembered the reason for his visit, and grabbed the file Genma was reading out of his hands. "I came here to tell you something, though!"

Genma looked… about as interested as Genma ever looks. Iruka was about to start his story when he remembered the recent poisoning incident, and reached over to take Genma's senbon, which he placed in his own mouth carefully. Determined to play it up once it was there, he slouched a bit and gave his best heavy-lidded smirk. "Trust me, you wouldn't be able to hold onto that when you heard my story, so I'm saving you some trouble," he said. Then he started telling Genma about the events of the evening.

"You what? And he? And… what the fuck?" was Genma's initial response.

Iruka flicked the senbon from one side of his mouth to the other and nodded slowly. "I know, can you believe it? This guy isn't exactly a blushing virgin, hells, if I remember right you've even been with him, right?"

Genma nodded. "Casually, yeah. Party or something. One night, you know. As far as I knew, one night is about all anyone gets from him, which is why I was kind of uncomfortable when he started asking questions about you. But this… I would never have imagined Kakashi to think that way, and to be honest, I'm kind of impressed. I mean, I think he really likes you, and he's trying to do the right thing or whatever."

Iruka groaned. "But 'the right thing' isn't any fun, Gen-chan! I mean, I pounced the man and shoved my tongue down his throat, and then started grinding against him. I can't believe he turned me down!" He pulled the senbon out of his mouth and returned it to its owner, leaving his mouth free to pout.

Genma rolled his eyes and put the senbon back in his mouth, thrilling a bit at the fact that it now tasted like Iruka, and hoping Iruka didn't notice. "Sorry, Ruka, but I think I'm on his side on this one. He wants to date you, and the first-date-sex would probably have turned into one-night-stand-sex if he'd led you fuck him then and there." He paused, then gave his best leer. "Not that I would have been able to resist you if it were me." He snaked an arm around Iruka and leaned over so that his head rested on the man's shoulder, their cheeks nearly touching. He half expected Iruka to shrug him off, but he didn't, and they sat like that for a while.

Finally, Iruka broke the silence. "So, you think this might be a good thing for me? I'm seeing him again tonight already, and I feel like he's good for me, but he's Kakashi! Can you really imagine, me and Kakashi, together?"

Genma opened his mouth to say something lewd, and then closed it again, knowing it wasn't the right moment. "I don't know, Iruka. A few days ago I would have said 'no' but now I'm really starting to change my mind. Look at you. Look at this, you're sitting here with me, like old times, not worrying about anything. Part of that was me, our friendship, getting back to where it was. But you can't say that part of your willingness to get involved with people again wasn't Kakashi's doing, now can you?"

Iruka leaned back further against his friend and closed his eyes. "I can't. I want to say it was all you, but it wasn't. He's been good for me, mostly, and now he seems to have really figured out how to keep being good for me."

Genma smiled and reached his free arm up to remove his senbon, sticking it carelessly into one of the scrolls nearby, pinning it to the floor. His mouth now free, he kissed Iruka's cheek softly. When he spoke, his breath tickled Iruka's face. "I think you should give him a chance, Iruka. I think you'll be happier, and you know that makes me happy. Of course I'm only looking out for myself by saying this, of course."

Iruka laughed, and then freed himself reluctantly from Genma's embrace, standing. "Thank you, Gen-chan. I think I can sleep now, and so I should go before I'm out of time to do so."

Genma sighed. "Use me and leave me, I see what kind of man you are," he lamented dramatically, but he was smiling.

Iruka leaned down and kissed him, softly, chastely, and said "I am the man you have taught me to be, my dear friend, and so you have no right to complain." Then he was off, casually letting himself out as if he still lived in that home that hadn't been his for several years now.

Iruka's visit with Genma might have cleared his mind so he could sleep, but it did the opposite for Genma. First, there was the taste of Iruka on his senbon, and then that kiss, however well-intentioned and friendly it had been meant to be. Next to that his mind placed the imagined image of Iruka pouncing Kakashi… and it made for a very distracted Genma. Sighing, he pushed all his work out of the way and simply flopped back onto the floor.

It wasn't that he wanted Iruka, not now, not after all they'd been through. He didn't want to go there again, deal with the drama that had been their love life. But this thing with Kakashi had brought up memories, and he couldn't get them to go away.

_The first time Iruka fucked Genma, they'd been together for months already. Their relationship was still going strong, passionate but still with the steadiness of their friendship intertwined. There had only been rare glimmers of the destructive tendency to over-empathize between them, so far, and things were good. They had spent the afternoon goofing off with some of the other young shinobi, enjoying warm weather and a brief lull in activity, and just come home to Genma's big house to relax. Genma barely got in the door when Iruka had him up against the wall, kissing him roughly and tearing at his clothes. This wasn't normal behavior for his younger lover, and Genma wasn't sure whether to argue with him or just go with it. His libido made the decision for him when Iruka growled, "Let me take you, Gen-chan. I want to possess you. I want to know that it feels like for you when you invade me and take me over and leave me breathless. I want to do that to you." Genma could do nothing but nod, and Iruka dragged him off to bed, managing to scatter their clothing everywhere on the way._

_That night was like nothing Genma had ever experienced. He'd bottomed before, for others before Iruka, but this was different. One moment Iruka was completely in control, kissing, licking, teasing, soothing Genma with soft strokes and long slow thrusts, and then the next moment he was biting, pounding, holding Genma down and ravaging him. It was exhilarating and terrifying, never knowing what was coming next, never quite prepared for that next moment, and Genma knew he would never get enough. Those strong tan hands explored every inch of Genma's body, and something about that touch made him feel both possessed and worshipped. When Genma finally came, he screamed Iruka's name, and thought he was going to die at the whispered, "Did I do okay, Gen-chan?"_

_Over the next few years, Genma would find that Iruka had just as many sides in bed as out of it, and not only could he be unpredictable, he could be achingly gentle and amazingly loving. Before that first time Iruka took control, Genma had just assumed he was always on top because he was older and more experienced, and afterwards he almost expected Iruka to take control every time. But the very next day, Iruka smiled at him drowsily and said, "Your turn this time, Gen-chan!" and after that they had easily explored each other sexually without limitations or preconceived notions about who should do what. Genma had never had another lover who was as willing to try anything, compromise, and just plain have fun in bed like Iruka, before or since._

Genma sighed and jumped to his feet, deciding a warm shower and a bit of self-love was definitely in order. After all, he'd just told the guy he was currently fantasizing about he should give someone else a chance, so he wasn't exactly going to get any loving from that angle. And while picking up someone else and bringing them home when he would really think about Iruka the whole time wasn't beyond Genma's morality, it just plain seemed like too much effort.


	14. Chapter 14

Iruka's morning went quickly, and when he was done at the Academy, he headed off to find Naruto, hoping to invite him to lunch. As expected, Naruto was just leaving the Uchiha compound, but he didn't look as glum as Iruka would have expected. "Iruka-sensei!" the young man yelled, as soon as Iruka stepped into his line of sight. Then Naruto was barreling down on him and sweeping him up in a hug, and Iruka smiled, hoping this was a habit his young friend never grew out of.

"Iruka-sensei! Next week Sasuke gets to come on a mission with me!" Naruto shouted happily. "The council wants to keep him under lock and key forever, it seems, but Tsunade-baachan said that she'd rather see him prove his loyalty in the field! I think she just got tired of hearing me complain about him, but like you taught me…"

Iruka grinned and spoke the rest in unison with his ex-student. "If you can be humble in your methods, you can have pride in your results!"

"Ramen?" asked Naruto.

Iruka nodded. "That was my intent. Lucky you're so easy to find at the time I get off work. I haven't seen you in a few days and I wanted to fill you in on some things…"

Naruto's blue eyes gained the old mischievous glint. "Oh, does that mean I get to hear about your date with the lazy pervert?" he said lightly.

Iruka laughed. "How is it that people think you're an idiot, bright boy? How did you manage to hear about that already? And is it all over town?"

They were just entering the ramen stand at this point, and Naruto turned to greet the owner and his daughter, and get their orders in, before answering. He could feel Iruka's impatience, and fought the urge to laugh. Finally, he turned back and said "Not all over town, though it won't be long before it is if you keep walking around with him like that. Everyone's using to seeing you acting that way with Genma, but anyone else and it's obvious it's more than friendly. I ran into Genma and Raidou this morning, and they were talking about it, though…" Naruto paused, deciding not to fill Iruka in on the fact that Genma had been lamenting his own loss with Iruka being off the market, or the fact that his companion had been rolling his eyes as if hearing Genma whine about Iruka was a regular thing. Some things just weren't Naruto's place to say. "Anyway, he only told Raidou, and no one but me would have been around there to hear, or understood what they were talking about anyway. And of course I won't tell."

Iruka inspected the whiskered face, watching intently to try to decide if whatever Naruto was keeping from him was important. That pause had been far too telling for someone who knew the young man as well as Iruka did. But Naruto was an adult now, and Iruka had to trust his judgment about what to tell and what to keep to himself. "Thanks, Naruto-kun!" Iruka proclaimed brightly instead, reaching out to lay a hand on the young man's shoulder.

Lunch was nice, but Naruto had work to get back to afterwards, so Iruka was at a loss how to spend his afternoon. He'd been overtraining lately, and he really should give himself a rest in terms of that. He'd seen Genma last night instead of this afternoon and at this time of day Genma would be at the mission room anyway. Of course, if Iruka hadn't removed himself from that position, he would have been working there this afternoon too. For the first time, Iruka wondered exactly why he had quit. He supposed at the time he just didn't want to see anyone, especially Tsunade, but also anyone else he could possibly injure, and the mission desk was the place where he most often lost his temper.

Sighing, Iruka went over the past few days in his mind. Things were starting to get back to normal, in terms of his reactions to people, and that both scared and encouraged him. Did it mean he didn't have to worry? Or did it mean that someday once he let his guard down he'd snap again? But surely if that were a risk, Tsunade wouldn't have not only let him continue his duties but also covered up the incident! She might have a soft spot for him, but she was a good Hokage, and she wouldn't put her people at risk like that. Steeling himself, Iruka headed off to the mission room after all.

It wasn't a busy time of day. Genma was slumped into a chair in the corner, and Kotetsu and Izumo were gossiping quietly among themselves. Genma didn't look like he was listening, but Iruka checked the distance between them and his chair and decided Genma must have placed himself to overhear them. The new girl was the picture of vigilance, as always. No Tsunade today, Iruka noticed. A few of his ex-students were sitting around a board game on the floor, which piqued Iruka's curiosity. Smiling, he walked over and greeted them.

Each in turn returned his greeting, but it was Hyuuga Hinata who caught the unspoken question. "We're supposed to be getting a mission, but something got mixed up with the paperwork, so we're waiting for Tsunade-sama to sort it out for us. So Kiba-kun thought we'd all play a game while we were waiting, and we figured this was as good a place as any, and this way Tsunade-sama doesn't have to come find us."

"I think Soseki-san disapproves of our playing here, but she hasn't said so," chimed in Inuzuka Kiba with a wicked grin that flashed and then disappeared into a serious look. "Though of course if you think we're in the way, we'll find somewhere else to play!"

Iruka shrugged, but inwardly he was smiling. These kids were growing up so nicely. "I don't see anything wrong with what you're doing. If I were you, and Soseki-san said something about it, I'd ask her exactly what you're hurting. It's not like this place is busy right now anyway. Besides, if Genma can loiter, you can play a board game, I think."

"That's pretty much what I said, Iruka-sensei, but of course your word carries more weight with this bunch" replied Nara Shikamaru, nodding approvingly and narrowing his eyes at Kiba.

Yori was quite confused. First the young Jounin playing a board game in the middle of the mission room, and now them reacting to Iruka as if he were an authority figure, even though every single one of them outranked him. What was up with this guy? As if her thoughts had summoned him, the smiling man made his way over to her. At least he was in uniform today, she thought.

"Soseki-san, how are you?" he asked, smiling broadly and directing those warm dark eyes at her again. Yori didn't like how those eyes made her feel in the slightest, or so she told herself.

"Just fine, Umino-san. And you?"

Iruka grinned. "A bit bored, to be honest. I forgot what it was like not to always be working, apparently."

Yori raised an eyebrow at that. If Umino came back to the mission desk, she wondered what kind of job she'd get stuck with next. "I'm sure there's something fun you could find to do with your time, other than hanging around here."

A rich laugh came from the corner where Genma had been slouching in his chair, and they both looked over to find him moving towards them. He slung an arm easily over Iruka's shoulders, slipped his other hand into Iruka's back pocket, and smirked. "Not to worry, Yori, he's not going to take his job back. He just came here to see me, and is too shy to simply say so, isn't that right, Ruka?"

It was a beautiful blush. The best he'd seen in days, Genma thought. "Gen-chan, just because you practically live in the mission room doesn't make it the appropriate place for this kind of behavior."

It was at this time that Tsunade swept into the room, her presence as usual somewhat overwhelming. It wasn't just her physical appearance that was overwhelming (though the huge bosom helped) but something about her just radiated power. Everyone in the room turned to look when she swept in, and Kiba, Shikamaru, and Hinata all stood to attention, waiting for their assignment. "Here you go, kids, get on it. Now." Tsunade said, tossing a scroll in their direction. It was easily caught by Kiba, who handed it off to Shikamaru and then turned to look longingly at his game. It had been a gift from his sister, and he didn't want any of the pieces getting lost.

"I'll pack that up for you and drop it by your place," Iruka offered, and Kiba smiled gratefully. The three young Jounin bowed to Tsunade, though Shikamaru's bow looked half-hearted at best. Then, shockingly, they repeated the same bow to Iruka (who still had a Genma attached to him), and even Shikamaru seemed sincere. Yori, watching silently from across the room, didn't know what to make of this.

Once the young ones were gone, Tsunade turned to Iruka and Genma. Her eyes narrowed, and she went over to Yori's desk and rummaged for a moment. Finally, she chose a scroll and shoved it under Genma's nose. "Since you have nothing better to do than harass my Chuunin, you can take a mission. Go. Now."

Genma reluctantly took the scroll, and let go of Iruka. "I'll see you later, Ruka-kun. Good luck on your date tonight," he whispered. "I'll be happy for you if it goes well, you know." He waved lazily at Tsunade and sauntered out of the mission room, not looking back.

Tsunade wasn't done yet. She stood tapping her foot while Iruka cleared up Kiba's game, and when he was done, she said, "I'll walk with you to the Inuzuka's to drop that off, and then we're going to my office. It's way past time for us to have a talk, Iruka-kun."

Iruka had been dreading this moment, but he knew it had to happen. The Hokage couldn't just let the whole incident go, even if she was keeping it quiet. He sighed, and followed his leader, because it was the only thing he could do.

As soon as they reached Tsunade's office, she seemed to drop her façade a little. She still looked young, but there was a decidedly tired look on her face. Shizune was there, and she must have realized how much Tsunade was suffering, because she actually complied when Tsunade requested she retrieve sake and cups for herself and her guest. Iruka didn't feel he could refuse, and so found himself sitting drinking sake with Tsunade.

"Here's the thing, Iruka," she started slowly, after a couple of cups. "I've been relying on Naruto to get information about you, but he hasn't seen you much the past few days. I've interrogated Genma, but he doesn't say much. For someone with a huge mouth, he's extremely loyal, and it's not like it's any secret that you two were involved for several years when you were young. So he says as little as he can get away with, and I wound up actually telling him exactly what happened just to get him to do his real work instead of poking around trying to find out."

Iruka blanched. "Genma knows what happened?"

Tsunade nodded. "He's the only one I've told, and Naruto's the only one you've told. If you asked anyone else in Konoha, they would say those were the two worst people to keep secrets, but they are both intensely loyal to you. I don't want you in trouble, Iruka. I don't want to have to execute you, or declare you a traitor. But you stabbed me in the throat. That would have been a death blow for just about anyone else, but luckily I have special protections for such occasions. All the same, I have to know that you're not going to do something like that again, not toward me, but also not towards any of my other shinobi. I still trust you, but if you don't keep me in the loop, it's hard to justify that trust in you. So you're going to have to talk to me a little more, okay?"

Iruka was crying. The words, "would have been a death blow" wouldn't get out of his head, and really he was a traitor to Konoha and deserved to be treated as such, in his own perception. But when he told Tsunade that, she reminded him that Iruka himself had stood by Sasuke upon his return to Konoha, and surely he knew that anyone could be redeemed. Iruka nodded glumly, and promised to keep in touch better.

"So, why was Genma hanging all over you when I came into the mission room today? It's nice that you were visiting, but I wasn't expecting to see that," said Tsunade, her voice soft.

"We're not together, if that's what you're asking," Iruka said quietly, shaking his head. "We haven't been together in years, and lately we haven't even so much been friends, but over the past few days we've gotten that back some. He acts that way; he always has, before and after we were together, and I don't always know how to take it. But I like having him close to me." It was a hard admission for him to make, and Tsunade could hear that in his voice. "I'm seeing someone else, tentatively," Iruka added.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "So first you say you don't want to see anyone again, ever, want to seclude yourself among only your children whom you know are safe with you, and now you're dating someone? That's quite a jump." Her mind was running through the list of people Iruka might be dating, and coming up with nothing.

"It sort of just happened. Kakashi, one night he sat with me all night saying nothing, and it was just what I needed at the time. He doesn't know what happened, or rather, he doesn't know who I attacked, but he knows I hurt someone and he knows it's killing me." Iruka paused. "It was killing me anyway, it's not now. Hurting still, but I can live with it. You still trust me, and I'm starting to think I can trust myself again. And part of that is Genma's doing, and part of it is Naruto's, but part of it is also Kakashi's."

Tsunade jumped out of her chair with the surprise. "You are dating Hatake Kakashi? Do you have any idea what a social mess that man is?"

Iruka smirked. "Come now, _Hokage-sama_, since when could I pass up a lost cause?"

Laughter from Tsunade. "I concede your point, Iruka-sensei. I'm sure you know what you're doing, so I'll leave your personal life to you. Which leaves me with only one request: come back to work. It's not just the mission room, though that is a problem too, but I have matters on my desk that would best be dealt with by you. Kotetsu and Izumo are excellent assistants, and Shizune is… Shizune, but I've come to rely on you as part of my team, and I need you back. Please. I won't make it an order, but it is a personal request from me.

Iruka started to open his mouth, but Tsunade shushed him. "Not yet. Go on your date. Be happy. Then let me know when you're ready, but please don't wait too long, okay?"

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," Iruka said, and his smile shone with gratitude and affection. He bowed politely and then, on impulse, added "Please get some rest." With that, he was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

Six o'clock on a slightly less sunny Saturday found Kakashi knocking on Iruka's door. He'd gone shopping for yet more civilian clothes that morning, and actually swallowed his pride and talked to Genma about the issue of hiding weapons in such clothing. It had been an awkward conversation, in a way, but he and Genma were friends, and he didn't really want to kill the man anymore. Loyalty to a friend was one thing, but expecting someone to choose you over a past lover whom they still have feelings for was too much, so he had forgiven Genma for telling Iruka about his questions about him.

Kakashi knocked on the door quietly, feeling strange about being on time. He had promised Iruka though, and you couldn't lie to that sweet face and expressive eyes. So he was on time, and he knocked timidly, and the door opened immediately as if Iruka had been doing nothing but waiting for him.

Iruka was… not Iruka-sensei. Not the proper Chuunin teacher who wore his hair pulled carefully up and blushed at the slightest provocation. This Iruka was dressed all in rich dark reds and browns, in velvet, with his hair framing his face, which held a sly grin. Kakashi's jaw dropped.

Iruka smirked, then asked, "So, are we going out or are you coming in?"

"Out," Kakashi said, regaining his control. He was determined to at least get to know this man a little better before jumping into bed with him, determined not to make him just one more of his conquests. However much he wanted him now. "I even picked a restaurant today," he added, and Iruka smiled broadly. He locked his door and sent a pulse of chakra into the lock as he turned the key, which sparked Kakashi's interest. "What did you just do?" he asked.

A laugh from Iruka, and then, "Setting my traps. Just because I'm not a Jounin doesn't mean I'm not a little paranoid. I used the same set-up on a few of my friend's places, when I helped with their traps, making it so locking the door and setting the traps were essentially the same action."

Kakashi craned his head, and looked closely at Iruka. "You help other people with traps? I haven't seen anywhere that you were an expert on them."

Kakashi could have sworn the expression that crossed Iruka's face was Naruto's fox-grin, for just a moment. "I'm not a trap expert, per se. A lot of my knowledge of traps was gained through pranking, not official shinobi stuff. But after the fiftieth time or so that I caught Sandaime-sama with one of my pranks, he assigned me to work on traps in order to put my skills to practical use." Iruka's face became somber for a moment, with the thought of Sandaime, but it passed quickly. "Anyway, Genma's place is my masterpiece, but if you do a good run-through of Anko's, you'd get an idea what I mean too."

"I apologize for ever underestimating you, Iruka," Kakashi said softly, but Iruka didn't reply. They walked off into the comfortable evening air, and found themselves at the restaurant Kakashi had chosen within just a few minutes.

This place was fancier than the diner where they had eaten the previous night, and Iruka wasn't used to eating in such places. Most of his "indulgence" money was spent on ramen with Naruto. He was amazed by the multiple small dining areas connected together by hallways full of glass windows, and he wasn't sure what to make of the place. It seemed like it would be too extravagant to be comfortable, but when their host led them all the way to the back dining area, it was a very comfortable place indeed. Cozy even, and quite private. Kakashi smiled, and then said, "I come here pretty often. Once the food is served, they don't bother me unless I ring the bell, so I can actually take my time and eat without thinking about if someone will see my face. I haven't brought anyone here before, but I thought you'd like it."

Iruka smiled. "You and I are just stripping ourselves to the bone here, aren't we?"

It seemed a strange observation, and it caught Kakashi off guard. "I don't know any other way to be, I suppose. I don't let people in, generally, even people I care about. So once I let someone in, how am I supposed to know where to stop doing so?"

"We're alike in that way, Kakashi. It's not a flaw, I think, but rather something to cherish. I want to know every part of you." Then he leered, catching Kakashi off guard again. "Of course, I tried that last night, and you wouldn't let me."

"Patience, Sensei, patience!" was the only response he got.

Once they received their food, Kakashi took his mask off and left it off throughout the meal. Iruka couldn't help staring. Though he'd seen Kakashi's face before, the first time had been a stressful moment, and the second time he'd been caught up in a wave of lust. Sitting here calmly across from the man watching him eat was an entirely different matter. If his scrutiny bothered, Kakashi, he didn't show it, so Iruka was quiet throughout the meal and studied Kakashi's face carefully.

After dinner, Kakashi carefully arranged his mask and stood to go. "They have a tab for me here, don't worry about it," he said, and waved at the host as they left. "Would you like to come to my place?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka nodded, and they took off in the direction of Kakashi's place. Kakashi's apartment was larger than Iruka's, but looked less comfortable somehow. Still, Iruka smiled to see the obvious marks Kakashi's students had made there, astutely picking out which knickknacks were bought by which student. Kakashi smiled as Iruka looked around, and said, "I suppose you can tell I don't so much live here. I'm not used to spending a lot of time at home."

Iruka nodded. "It's not like my house is excessively decorated or anything, but there's something of my energy there or something. I'm not seeing much that says 'Kakashi' to me here, but… that's also part of you in a way. Perhaps someday you'll find a place you want to make an impact on," he said optimistically.

Kakashi shrugged the whole thing off, and offered Iruka tea, which he accepted. They sat quietly again, not much to say between them, not much that needed to be said. Kakashi had claimed he wouldn't ask anything of Iruka, and he was determined to keep to that. Iruka, for his part, had simply had enough of talking recently, with everything going on. So they sat silently, and at some point Iruka found himself sitting next to Kakashi and leaning into him, his head just below Kakashi's unmasked chin. Kakashi smelled of forest and dog, he decided, but in the good way, not wet-gross-dog. He caught himself sniffing Kakashi's neck, and Kakashi laughed.

"You are one strange fellow, Iruka. I just never know what you're going to do next. As soon as I think I have you figured out, you confuse me all over again," Kakashi admitted. He was enjoying the feel of Iruka's warm body next to him, and the soft fabric he was wearing felt nice beneath Kakashi's arm, which had moved to rest around Iruka's shoulder. "I was half expecting to be jumped again, but apparently it's cuddling tonight, eh?"

Iruka shifted slightly in Kakashi's hold, and spoke softly into his neck. "I didn't want to scare you away. Copy-nins are apparently elusive creatures, and I'm not sure I could catch you again if I lost you." He could feel Kakashi's chest rumbling with laughter, and smiled himself. "Are you disappointed, Kakashi? Would you have liked me to jump you again?"

"Yes, no, I don't know. I'm not an expert here. This dating thing is a little beyond me, and I know right now that I want you, but I don't know if I can do that and still have a chance with you tomorrow, or the next day, or a year from now."

Iruka swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "A year from now, Kakashi? You've been thinking about a year from now, with me? Even though we barely know each other?"

Kakashi pulled away from Iruka and turned so that they were face to face. He took off his hitae-ate so that Iruka could see his full face, even his Sharingan eye. "I was a genius shinobi who was promoted far too early. I lost my entire team, and my entire family. I trained one of the most unstable, dangerous, and just plain scary Genin teams ever to come out of Konoha, second only perhaps to Tsunade's team. I know better than just about anyone that we each have our own paths to walk, and sometimes those paths take us to unexpected places, good and bad. I may not know every detail of your past like Genma does, and I might not know every aspect of your present like Naruto does, but I am here with you now, and I see the path you are on. This might be our second 'date', but I'm not really looking at it that way. My heart is yours when you choose to accept it, waiting for you, as is every other part of me."

Iruka had nothing at all to say to that. He couldn't say he felt the same way, because he wasn't quite sure he did yet. But he wanted to, and he wasn't sure how you would say that, so he said nothing, and just smiled at Kakashi, and reached out to grasp one of his hands in his own.

That was a good enough answer apparently, because Kakashi leaned forward and kissed him. This wasn't the type of kiss Iruka had given Kakashi the evening before, lustful and possessive, but rather a sweet, soft kiss. Kakashi pressed forward on Iruka's shoulders, pressing him carefully down to the floor, and deepened the kiss as he did so. His hands roamed over Iruka's body, exhilarating in the contrast of hard muscle below soft velvet. Iruka just wrapped his arms around Kakashi and let him explore, responding to the kiss but not fighting for dominance. When they finally came up to breathe, Kakashi tried to pull away, but Iruka kept his arms locked around his body. "Kakashi, if you're right, if we each have our own path, then this is our path, and we can follow it any way we choose. I want you, now, tonight, and I promise you that tomorrow you'll still have a chance with me, whether you say yes or no."

There wasn't really any choice left to Kakashi, not with this beautiful man beneath him, with his heart racing in a way danger hadn't made it race in quite a while, and those warm eyes inviting him. On impulse, he ran his finger lightly over the scar across Iruka's nose, that scar that made him stand out, that was part of what made him Iruka. Then he realized they were lying in the middle of his living room floor, and it wasn't the most comfortable place, and he pulled away from Iruka and stood. At first Iruka frowned, thinking he was being rejected, but Kakashi held out a hand to him silently. That moment, that outstretched pale hand, the darker one coming up to meet it, was burned into his memory forever by the Sharingan, and Kakashi thanked Obito from the bottom of his heart.

Kakashi led Iruka to the bedroom, and then kissed him again, dragging him down onto the bed with him, at which point something shifted in Kakashi's clothing and poked him. "Ack, stupid civilian clothing and stupid no place to put weapons!" he muttered, after breaking the kiss.

Iruka laughed heartily. "Wait, I'll take care of that problem for you," he said softly. He started with Kakashi's shirt another button-up, and this time looked up inquisitively when he started to unbutton it. Kakashi merely smiled at him, and Iruka proceeded to unbutton and then pull off the shirt. His hands roamed over Kakashi's chest, inspecting scars and smooth skin alike, brushing softly over his nipples, and then he moved on. His hands went to the zipper of Kakashi's pants, slowly pulled it down, and slipped the pants carefully down Kakashi's legs, tossing them carelessly across the room where they landed with a clunk. "Wow, you must have been hiding something nice in there," smirked Iruka, impressed with his own double entendre. Still smirking, he started on Kakashi's boxers, sliding them off just as slowly and carefully before exploring the flesh beneath. His eyes feasted on the pale skin beneath him, and he wondered what it would be like to have this man outside in the moonlight, where his skin would no doubt glow. He ran his hands over Kakashi's thighs, and glanced up to see Kakashi watching him intently with both eyes, still a new sensation for Iruka. Seeing neither guidance nor protest in those eyes, he moved up to kiss him again, reaching his hand between them to touch Kakashi's cock, which was warm and hardening in his hand. His other hand kept exploring, touching every part of Kakashi that he could get ahold of, trying to imprint every detail in his mind through touch.

Kakashi's mind was whirling. Iruka was all over him, touching and stroking, but Iruka was still fully dressed, and while the soft velvet he wore felt nice on Kakashi's skin, he wanted skin instead. So he pulled back from the kiss and panted, "Clothes off, now. Please. I want to feel you too."

Another mischievous grin from Iruka, and Kakashi suddenly saw the young prankster Iruka lurking inside him. He hooked a finger under the corner of his shirt, stroking the burgundy fabric softly, and then stroking the skin beneath it as his other hand pulled it up. The chest he revealed was relatively unscarred, except for a few of what looked like wire scars, thin lines streaking across his skin. Pulling the shirt over his head, he tossed it, and moved on. Instead of stripping out of his pants, however, he reached his hand down and rubbed himself through them, and Kakashi could see him growing hard beneath the soft fabric. Kakashi couldn't believe the proper Iruka-sensei could do these things, could be this kind of lewd tease, touching himself like this in front of Kakashi, driving him mad. Iruka grinned as if he knew what Kakashi was thinking, and slowly lowered his pants, again rubbing his tan skin as he went. He wasn't wearing anything under the soft brown velvet pants, and when he stood there fully naked and obviously unashamed, Kakashi's breath caught in his throat. Was this man truly going to be his, not just tonight, but for some time in the future as well?

Kakashi's shock was finally overcome by lust, and he reached out for Iruka and pulled him back into the bed hard. He kissed Iruka greedily, devouring him, his tongue exploring and claiming. His mouth wasn't enough to own, he decided, and starting trailing kisses down his neck and across his chest, marveling at the muscle there. He kissed further down, briefly kissing his cock but moving on quickly to devour his thighs, his knees, his feet. Still not satisfied, he gently pushed, and Iruka rolled onto his front, letting Kakashi devour the backs of his legs as well, up his firm ass, lingering lovingly on his heavily scarred back. When Kakashi reached the nape of Iruka's neck however, he didn't get very far before Iruka was rolling over, on top of Kakashi, pushing him down into the mattress and starting his own exploration.

Unlike Kakashi, Iruka didn't feel the need to explore every inch of his lover. There would be other nights for that, he decided. He was going to be optimistic, like Kakashi had told him to be yesterday, assuming that they had all the time in the world to be together. So the kisses Iruka was trailing down Kakashi's body soon became licks, and culminated with sucking Kakashi's cock, long and lean and hard like the rest of him, greedily into his mouth. He alternated between sucking greedily and licking softly, always keeping Kakashi off balance, never quite enough to cum but enough to make the usually so stoic Jounin whimper and scream. Pulling back and licking a drop of precum from the corner of his mouth, Iruka moved up Kakashi's body to rest above him, most of his weight on his arms so their bodies barely touched.

Kakashi groaned. "I think I'm going to die," he said, his breathing ragged and his skin flushed.

Iruka grinned the prankster grin again, and Kakashi thought he was really starting to love that look. "I didn't want to finish you in case you wanted to finish that off somewhere else," Iruka explained.

Kakashi shook his head, reaching his hand down to fondle Iruka's cock. "I want this," Kakashi growled, "inside me. Please." The part of his mind that was still working told him that Iruka needed to be in control here, after this whole time period when he had felt out of control.

Iruka smiled softly and kissed Kakashi again. "We can do that if you like," he said, then pulled away. Kakashi lay waiting, and there was a faint rustle before Iruka returned. He instantly returned to ravishing Kakashi with his mouth, and before Kakashi knew it Iruka's fingers were parting his ass cheeks and carefully slipping a lubed finger inside him. Kakashi was a seasoned shinobi who had suffered wounds that should have killed him, and didn't particularly want to be treated so carefully, and he was glad when Iruka quickly added another finger and then a third. Then they were gone, and Iruka's mouth was moving up Kakashi's body, raining kisses and licks and gentle bites, as he positioned his slick cock at Kakashi's entrance.

Iruka watched Kakashi's face as he started to enter slowly, saw the impatience there, and thrust deeper inside him. There was no hesitation; no moment of waiting, as Kakashi bucked his hips up, pushing back against Iruka. Iruka's thrusts were long and deep, but slow, and he shifted once, then again, until he found just the right angle and pushed up against Kakashi's prostrate. The howl the Jounin let out was impressive, and the rational part of Iruka's mind wondered if Kakashi's neighbors were the type who would complain about the noise.

Soon Kakashi was scrabbling at Iruka's shoulders for something to hang onto, as a particularly brutal thrust pushed him up the bed and nearly made him smack his head. Iruka didn't seem to notice, and Kakashi wasn't about to say anything that would make him stop what he was doing. So he simply held on, and when Iruka reached down with one hand to fist his cock, he moaned and kissed Iruka's neck hungrily.

The sensation drove Iruka over the edge. His neck was far too sensitive, and Kakashi's hands were digging into his shoulders in an exquisitely painful way, and the tight hot feeling of being inside Kakashi, it was all too much for him. He came, screaming Kakashi's name, thrusting once more deeply inside him. He wanted to collapse, but his partner hadn't reached his own release yet, and so he pulled out slowly and bent down to once more take Kakashi in his mouth. It took only a moment after that, the slightest bit of sensation, and Iruka was swallowing Kakashi's release smoothly, pulling back and smiling softly at his lover.

Kakashi wasn't sure he could move. He finally said "One of these days, you're going to have to tell me how you managed to carry lube in that outfit, not to mention the weapons it sounded like you had in there." Then they both were laughing, and collapsing together on the bed, in a tangle of limbs.


	16. Chapter 16

Iruka woke up feeling sweaty and disoriented. It didn't take him long to figure out why. Kakashi was lying next to him, propped up on one elbow, staring at him with both eyes. His impossibly-young-looking face was completely bare, and it made him seem strangely vulnerable. Unlike Iruka, Kakashi was freshly showered, shaved, and dressed, or at least half-dressed, wearing his uniform pants.

"Good morning, Iruka," Kakashi said softly. "I didn't think you had anywhere you had to be today, so I let you sleep late. I hope that's okay."

Iruka smiled up at Kakashi. "Perfect. Wonderful. Amazing. Do you have somewhere you have to be though?"

Kakashi nodded. "Meeting. I'll make breakfast first, though, and you can get a shower while I'm cooking and finishing up getting dressed," he offered.

Iruka laughed. "Let me guess; the meeting starts about now?" A grin from Kakashi answered his question and Iruka sighed. "Oh well, you'd be late either way, so I might as well take the free breakfast." He hauled himself off the bed and followed Kakashi to the bathroom, where Kakashi got out towels and such for him. Kakashi moved much slower than he was capable of, and after a moment Iruka remembered he was still naked and Kakashi was trying to stall in order to gawk at him longer.

"You know, we did say that we didn't want last night to be the end of this. So you don't have to act like you're never going to have a chance to see me naked again," Iruka said softly.

Kakashi… blushed? Yes, that was definitely a blush. "Sorry, I'm just not used to having gorgeous men walking around my apartment naked. I'll go make breakfast now!" he said, and dashed out the door. Grinning, Iruka set about cleaning himself, humming a little tune.

Breakfast was strange, mostly because it was completely comfortable. The conversation was casual and natural, and the events of the previous night weren't mentioned except in passing. Kakashi complained about having to go to a rather pointless Jounin meeting that morning, and Iruka contemplated how to spend his day off. Kakashi was silent when Iruka talked about visiting friends, or catching up on his reading, or training, but when he finally ran out of ideas, Kakashi spoke up.

"My meeting shouldn't last more than a couple of hours, so if you like we could spend some time together," he offered quietly.

Iruka looked up at him, surprised. "I'd like that," he replied. In fact, he had wondered if he should ask Kakashi to see him later, but it seemed a little pushy after having gone out two nights in a row, and stayed over last night.

"Great," Kakashi said, clearing away plates. "For now, though, I'm off! You can let yourself out when you're ready, or you can wait here," he added, waving his hand carelessly. He started towards the door, turned on his heel, and strode back to drop a light kiss on Iruka's lips before taking off again.

Iruka looked around wonderingly. It was an amazing sign of trust to leave someone alone in your home, not just because they could pry into personal belongings, but because this was a Hidden Village, and anyone could potentially be working for the enemy. He was touched by the gesture, and pretty sure that he wouldn't have done the same if it were Kakashi at his home. After all, they hadn't even been friends just a few days ago, even if they did appear to be dating now. Carefully Iruka gathered up his things and let himself out, then realized he didn't have any idea how to set Kakashi's traps, or even what or where they were. In fact, he hadn't seen Kakashi do anything involving traps, and it made him wonder how his home was protected. He stood there for a moment, wondering, but decided Kakashi must have taken care of it before he left, because he wasn't the type to forget important things like that.

"Now what?" Iruka said aloud as he headed home, wearing a borrowed outfit and carrying his things from last night. He had things at home he could do while Kakashi was in his meeting, but none of them sounded interesting anymore. He headed home anyway, realizing the one person he really wanted to talk to would probably be in that meeting as well, and resigned himself to getting some chores done.

When several hours had passed and Kakashi hadn't knocked on Iruka's door, he was a little worried. Maybe the Jounin had forgot, or had expected Iruka to come to him. Or perhaps they had agreed to meet somewhere and Iruka had just missed it? Or the meeting had run long, and Kakashi was even now lamenting keeping Iruka waiting?

Just when Iruka was starting to wonder if he should venture over to Kakashi's to see if he was home, there was a knock on his door. He bolted up and ran, not caring that he probably looked over-eager. Throwing open the door, he saw…

Genma, standing there chewing on his ever-present senbon, looking less bored than usual, but a little sad. "Hey, Ruka-kun, can I come in?" he said quietly, too seriously.

Iruka nodded mutely, stepping back so Genma could enter and waiting while he took off his sandals and padded into the living room. Genma flopped onto the couch as if he owned the place, and Iruka shoved his legs off to make room to sit down. "What's up, Genma?" Iruka asked softly.

Genma sighed. "Tsunade-sama sent Kakashi, Gai, and Kurenai on a mission. I didn't get all the details, no one did, but Kakashi was very adamant that I let you know he was going to be gone at least a couple of days, and would see you as soon as he got back." He closed his eyes, then abruptly stood and settled back down so that his head was resting on Iruka's leg. "That mission she gave me wasn't really just to keep me busy. There's some serious stuff going on, far too close to home for comfort, and Rai and I barely got out alive."

Iruka sighed and reached down, pulling off Genma's bandana so that he could stroke the other man's hair soothingly. He wanted to ask more about Kakashi, but had to take care of his friend first. "Are you both okay?"

Genma's head hurt, and he closed his eyes again. "Mostly. Rai was in pretty bad shape, and I wound up knocking him out to get him to the hospital. Stubborn ass. He's still there, and I would have stayed, but he's not in any real danger anymore and Sakura-san threatened to pummel me."

Iruka grinned at that. "Sounds about right. I swear it's like having Tsunade in two places at once. Are you okay, though?"

Another sigh from Genma. "No. I mean, I'm not seriously injured. And it's not that the mission was particularly traumatic, even with barely getting out like we did. But Raidou was so beat up, and we don't even know exactly what is going on still, just that someone's out there nearby trying to stir up trouble. Tsunade wanted to send me right back out with Gai and Kurenai, and Kakashi insisted she not do so, I was so exhausted… so she wound up putting him in my place." Genma's eyes opened and he stared up at Iruka, who had moved from stroking his hair to massaging his temples. "I can leave if you want. It's my fault he didn't come back to meet you, and my fault he's in danger" he said softly.

Iruka shook his head, resolutely, though his eyes were sad. "It's not your fault. Kakashi did what he thought was best, for Konoha, for you, and for your teammates. He went because he needed to go, and I'm not going to blame you for that."

"When he told me to give you the message, he said you'd probably either be here or at his place," said Genma lightly.

Iruka smiled. "Yeah, I stayed there last night."

Genma smirked. "So it was second-date-sex instead of first-date-sex. After what you said about Kakashi's whole taking it slow thing, I would have figured he would have made you wait a little longer. Gonna tell me any naughty details?"

Iruka shook his head. "Not this time, Gen-chan. It was a little too emotional to talk about, really. Besides…" he paused, looking down at his friend with a very thoughtful expression. "You don't really need to hear those things from me right now, do you?"

Genma laughed ruefully, pulled his senbon from his mouth, and shoved it in a holster on his vest. "You caught me, eh?" Iruka just nodded, so Genma kept talking. "So if you know, why are you letting me be here, like this? Why are you touching me like you used to, making my headache go away? Why did you kiss me two days ago, right after telling me about your date with Kakashi? Are you torturing me on purpose, or do you think you're being nice?"

There wasn't an easy answer for those questions. Iruka didn't know what he was doing, why he had done anything, because none of his life had made sense lately. "You forced me to come out of hiding, Genma. You followed me around, offered me your friendship no matter how many times I rejected it. I thought you would expect something of me, some kind of emotional attachment that I couldn't give you at that time. I was wrong, though, you've simply taken whatever I've given, and let everything go back to normal as if I never pushed you away. More than that, you've gone to extra effort to make me comfortable, not asking questions. And even though Tsunade told you what happened, you haven't said anything to me about it. I'm not trying to torture you, but I don't want things to change between us… so, I've been being selfish and ignoring all the signs." Iruka paused, and frowned. "Maybe I shouldn't see Kakashi."

Genma's eyes grew wide. "Are you insane? Kakashi's made you happier in the past few days than I've seen you in years! If you dump him now, I'll tell Tsunade you're being self-destructive, because that's what it would be."

"What do you want then?" said Iruka, pulling his hands back finally from where they had been resting on Genma's temples. He was giving Genma room to sit up if he chose, but Genma didn't move.

"This," said Genma, reaching out to Iruka's hands and settling them back where they had been. "I said you were torturing me, but this kind of closeness with you is what I want. I just wonder… what will Kakashi say when he realizes how our friendship works? When you don't stop acting this way with me? Can I have this still, or do I have to let you take a step back from me, be friends with me like you are friends with Kotetsu or Izumo or any of the rest?"

Iruka's hands went back to their previous work, and he said nothing for a moment. He was thinking, hard, trying to decide what to say to Genma and what to say to Kakashi, and at the same time wondering if Kakashi was in danger yet and if he would make it back okay, and if he'd be allowed to go see Raidou in the hospital if he wished. Finally, he spoke. "I won't promise you what Kakashi will or won't say, but I can tell you what I will do. If Kakashi tells me to take a step back from you, I'll tell him I can't. It's not something that's negotiable. If he'll leave me over it… he can't be with me anyway, because my friendships are a part of who I am, even the fucked-up ones like this one."

There was a whispered "Thank you" and then nothing more was said for a while. Much later, Iruka left a sleeping Genma on his couch and went to make a late lunch (or an early dinner) for the two of them.


	17. Chapter 17

"So, you really okay?" asked Iruka in the morning.

Genma nodded, rubbing his eyes sleepily. He was wearing a pair of Iruka's favorite pajama pants and a t-shirt, with yet another cute slogan … this one "I'm naughty, and you love it." He frowned for a second, and then said "I'd be better if you come to the hospital with me to visit Raidou."

"I was going to visit him anyway," Iruka said with a smile. "You can come along, of course, if you get up and get dressed." Genma complied, and Iruka followed him around talking while he got ready. "I don't have any classes today, because there's a special multi-class training session this week, and I didn't draw the short straw and have to supervise it this time. This is excellent, because there's this one little girl in my class who is trying to give me a nervous breakdown. I need to take a step back and think how to approach the situation positively so that I can actually help her. Anyway, we can visit Raidou, and then do whatever, unless you need to get some work done."

Genma slipped his senbon in his mouth, his final stage of "getting ready" and shook his head. "Can if I want, don't have to. That's pretty much what Tsunade said. I might bum around a bit just to keep up appearances, but I don't want to do too much serious work right now. Still pretty worn out." He inspected Iruka's face so carefully, Iruka stuck out his tongue at him. "Sorry. Just thinking I might not want to leave you alone today anyway. Overprotective of me, but your new boyfriend is away, so someone has to look out for you," Genma said with a wide grin.

Iruka laughed. "Okay, so visit Raidou first, and the mission room just to make an appearance, and then something fun. Got it."

At the hospital, the nurses let them into Raidou's room readily, which was a good sign. Raidou was sitting up in bed glaring at a book, and Genma and Iruka laughed as soon as they caught sight of him. "Oh, hey guys. This thing isn't very good company," he said, tossing the book across the room so it hit the wall.

The three friends wound up playing cards (which Genma produced from a vest pocket handily), while they talked about anything and everything but missions and hospitals. "So, you heard I'm seeing Kakashi, right?" Iruka asked Raidou after a bit.

Genma jumped guiltily, but Iruka waved a hand at him. "Forget it. Anything Genma knows, Raidou knows. I knew that when I confided in you, so don't think anything of it." He paused, and turned his attention back to the larger, heavily-scarred man. "So, what do you think, Rai?"

Raidou raked a bandaged hand heavily across the scarred portion of his face. "Genma says he's good for you. I don't know him as well as Genma does, but I know he's trustworthy. And, most importantly, I never thought Genma would say that another guy was good for you, so he has to be really something." His eyes darted to Genma for a second, and then he continued. "He can't be worse for you than your last serious boyfriend, anyway." The hand raised to hit him was caught smoothly with his non-injured one, and Raidou grinned. "Can't beat me up in the hospital, Gen-chan."

Iruka's eyes flickered from one of his friends to the other, and he wondered briefly exactly when Raidou had started calling Genma "Gen-chan" like Iruka did. He was fairly sure he had never heard it before. A broad smile broke out over his face, but he didn't say anything about it, and the rest of the visit passed in laughter and camaraderie.

The mission room was a mess, from the noise that could be heard outside. Iruka and Genma almost decided not to even go in, but curiosity got the better of them. Inside, several Genin teams were arguing loudly about why one of them apparently got a better mission and Soseki-san looked like she wanted to climb under her desk and hide. Meanwhile, Anko was egging on the arguing Genin, and Kotetsu, Izumo, and Shizune seemed to be arguing over who should break it up. Tsunade had her head down on the desk in her hands, as if she'd already given up, or perhaps passed out drunk.

Genma looked at Iruka, and Iruka sighed. "I'm not even in uniform. They're not going to listen to me," he said. When Genma merely waited, Iruka gave in and stepped into the middle of the fray. "Listen up, kids! Just because you are in teams does not mean you are not all comrades, as shinobi of Konoha. You WILL learn to work together and you WILL NOT fight over assignments! I am disappointed in each and every one of you! I am embarrassed to say that so many of you were once MY students! Get out of this room and get to work, on the missions you were assigned, or I will personally help Tsunade pick out the most annoying, dirtiest missions available for your teams for the rest of your careers!"

As Genma had expected, the squabbling Genin wound up apologizing profusely and within seconds were gone. He had expected Iruka to turn on Anko next, but the kunoichi wisely took off after the Genin. Kotetsu, Izumo, and Shizune all turned and applauded, and Tsunade picked her head up and smiled. "Does this mean you're going to work for me again, Iruka?" she asked.

Iruka thought for a moment. "You know, having all this free time has been kind of nice. And I don't like dealing with the desk being understaffed all the time, which you insist on keeping it. So I think I would only come back to work if you promised to keep a full staff, perhaps keeping both Soseki-san and myself for example."

Tsunade shook her head. "You really are something, you know that, Iruka-sensei? Of course I'll keep… what did you say her name was again?"

Iruka rolled his eyes. "And learn her name. Or no deal. Come on, you can say it, 'Soseki Yori'" He winked in the girl's direction, and she looked as if she might faint.

Tsunade-sama grimaced. "Soseki Yori.. I'll keep Yori," she added.

Iruka gave her his best "my worst student actually passed a test" smile. "Good girl, Tsunade! Tomorrow we'll work on learning to control a few measly Genin when you're supposed to be able to take care of a whole village of shinobi!" he exclaimed.

The Hokage's assistants were all roaring with laughter, and Genma was hanging onto Iruka as if he would fall in the floor otherwise, and even Yori giggled a little. Tsunade's face took on a stern look for a split second, before she too collapsed. "Okay, okay, I get it, Iruka. Now, can we have a party to celebrate your return? Perhaps…" she thought carefully. "There's a situation I have to keep my eye on for a day or two, but after that, we'll celebrate!"

Iruka blushed. "There's no need for…"

Shizune cut him off. "Iruka, don't go trying to cheat Tsunade out of a party. You know you'll just cause trouble for all of us if you do. You are going to celebrate, and you are going to like it, okay?"

Genma smirked. "Don't worry; I'll tie him up if I have to in order to get him there."

Iruka grinned and winked. "You'll take any excuse you can get, won't you, Gen-chan?" Another bout of laughter, and just that easily, it seemed things were back to normal….

Then Iruka realized what the situation was Tsunade had to keep her eyes on, and remembered Kakashi was gone, and felt sick to his stomach. He covered it well, he thought, teasing back and forth with Genma a bit longer, lounging around the mission room long enough for several groups of shinobi to come and go, and even managing to go out for drinks that evening with a few friends, but the light was gone from his eyes.

The next morning, Iruka woke to the sound of Genma talking to someone in the vicinity of his kitchen. Then Genma popped his head into the bedroom and said "I'm going to visit Raidou, but you have company!" with a huge grin on his face.

Iruka didn't need to see the man to know who he was, and he bolted out of bed so quickly he fell. A deep rumble of laughter came from his doorway, and he looked up to see Kakashi leaning there. "For a guy who had someone else sleeping over, you look pretty happy to see me," he said, and with his mask and hitae-ate covering most of his face, it was hard to know what he was thinking.

Iruka righted himself and walked over, wrapping his arms around Kakashi. "It wasn't…" he started.

Another laugh from Kakashi, and Iruka didn't know what to make of it. "It's just Genma. Didn't we already talk about Genma?" asked Kakashi. "Didn't you say not to be jealous of him, because however things looked, you weren't involved that way anymore? You're not sleeping with him, are you?" Iruka wanted to shake his head, but didn't quite. Kakashi sighed, taking his mask off to reveal a frown. "Having sex, I meant. Don't be so picky about words, Sensei, I know he slept in your bed last night, but that wasn't what I was asking you." Iruka did shake his head then, and Kakashi smiled. "Good, then don't worry about it. Now, enough about Genma, you have to welcome me home! It might have been a short mission, but it wasn't easy, and I missed you!"

Iruka was thunderstruck. This whole huge thing he had been worrying about had been nothing to Kakashi, and now Kakashi was here and safe and in his arms, and Iruka felt silly for even thinking about such things. He managed to smile up at Kakashi feebly, which earned him a kiss, which led to another kiss, and before he knew it he was back in his bed, and clothing was being scattered around the room.


	18. Chapter 18

It wasn't until he was naked in his bed with Kakashi nibbling on his ear that Iruka wondered why his lover had come home early, and what kind of conversation he'd had with Genma before Iruka woke up… but the thoughts were fragile and shattered when Kakashi's hand made its way across the sensitive scar on Iruka's back. "So, how much did you miss me?" Kakashi whispered, his breath hot on Iruka's skin.

Iruka shivered. Instead of answering with words, he turned his head and captured Kakashi's mouth with his own, then flipped them so that he was on top of his lover. His kiss was hard, insistent, hungry, and his hands roamed over his partner's skin everywhere he could reach. He caught sight of a bandage around Kakashi's left thigh, and pulled back, breaking the kiss abruptly.

Kakashi groaned, but followed Iruka's eyes to the bandage. "Nothing. You get worse injuries training with the mini-nins, I bet. Don't stop what you were doing, or I might change my mind about leaving you on top," he threatened.

Iruka cocked his head as if thinking about this one. Over the past couple of days, he'd not only been stressed out about Kakashi's mission, he'd had to take care of Genma's issues, and agreed to pick his duties back up. He'd love to make love to Kakashi, but he had a feeling Kakashi was just as stressed as he was, and this gave him another idea. So he smiled and flopped over so that he was lying next to Kakashi. When Kakashi just lay there staring at him, he smirked. "Well, come on, Kakashi-sama, or do you just like to make empty threats?" he asked mockingly.

The words sent a shiver down Kakashi's spine, and within seconds he was on top of Iruka, holding his hands above his head and pressing him to the mattress. "Is that what you want from me, Iruka? The sort of game you want to play?" he asked dangerously. The only reply was a cheeky grin, and Kakashi lowered his head to once more speak into Iruka's ear. "While I would love to play games with you, Iruka, don't you think it's a little early in our relationship for that?"

Iruka blushed, but his voice was calm. "I was thinking with the wrong head. Besides, I'm so comfortable with you, whatever I think just seems to spill out of my mouth."

Kakashi's big hand roamed down Iruka's body and cupped his cock. "Thinking with this, huh? You should be ashamed of yourself, Sensei… and here everyone thinks of you as such a respectable guy," he said softly, stroking a finger across the head thoughtfully. Iruka lay silent, just watching him, and Kakashi grinned wickedly. "Tell me what it is you want then, Iruka."

Iruka growled. "You know what I want, Kakashi." But Kakashi didn't answer, just sat there maddeningly teasing Iruka's cock, touching him so lightly he could barely feel it. "I want you to fuck me, okay? I want to fuck me so hard that I'm completely senseless, until I can't think about missing you or anyone's problems or my own melodrama." A pause, and then, "After that I want you to kiss me softly and tell me how glad you are to come home to me and how you want to keep coming home to me."

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" asked Kakashi glibly, and leaned over to catch Iruka's lips in another searing kiss. He had been carefully controlling himself, trying to keep the post-mission nerves out of his lover's bedroom, but since apparently that wasn't what Iruka wanted, he gave in. His touches became rougher, less calculated, and a moment later he was scrabbling in the medicine kit from his pants for lube he carried there, managing to pretty much dump it everywhere when he broke it open. Growling, he slicked some on himself and then threw it at Iruka, wondering if Iruka would really let him get away with making him prepare himself, even if he'd asked to play rough.

Iruka did him one better. He flipped over, propping himself up with one arm, smeared some lube on his fingers and shoved two of them roughly into his own ass. Iruka's face was hidden behind a curtain of dark hair, but when he spoke, he sounded more annoyed than in pain. "I am not breakable," he snarled, and then withdrew his fingers and started stroking himself. "Are you going to fuck me or sit there looking stupid, Hatake?" he asked.

Kakashi shook himself out of his shocked state and moved behind Iruka, lining himself up with his minimally prepared entrance apprehensively. He didn't want to hurt Iruka, but the man sure seemed to know what he was doing. Before Kakashi could move, Iruka rocked backwards and impaled himself with a growl. Finally, finally, Kakashi got the point, and started thrusting into him with abandon, letting his mind shut down. There was nothing but this movement, this tightness, Iruka thrusting back against him, the rich expanse of scarred tan skin on Iruka's back glistening with sweat. None of Kakashi's previous sexual encounters had prepared him for the strange mix of lust and sweetness that was Iruka, and nothing in the world could have prepared him for the way his heart clenched when he heard Iruka whisper, "Kakashi", nor the way Iruka stilled for only a second, and then relentlessly thrust his hips back to meet Kakashi's again.

By the time Kakashi finally came himself, he felt ready to collapse, but there was something important he had to do, and he couldn't quite remember what it was. He held onto Iruka for dear life as he eased out of him, and then collapsed onto the bed, pulling Iruka over and on top of him, not caring what a mess the bed was. Kakashi's mind was spinning, trying to catch up, trying to remember, and then it clicked, and he kissed Iruka softly, and whispered, "I'm glad to be home to you, and I will continue coming home to you for as long as you let me."


	19. Chapter 19

"You awake, Iruka?" Kakashi asked softly, a couple of hours later. Iruka had managed to get both of them cleaned up, changed the bed, and gotten them back to bed for a nap, since Kakashi had came straight to his place after reporting in, and Iruka had been up late the night before.. They'd both been pretty out of it through all of this, and had passed out soon, but now Kakashi felt wide awake, and his mind was racing.

"Yes," came the soft reply, and Iruka propped himself up on his elbow to look at Kakashi. Iruka frowned at the dark look on his lover's face. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Kakashi replied automatically, as he normally would to such a question. Then he shook his head. "I can't tell you details about the mission really, but it was pretty grisly. Everything was taken care of, but if it hadn't been, it would have been very bad for Konoha. Too many missing-nin too close, and they almost escaped our notice. My group wasn't the only one sent out to deal with them, and it was still a close thing." Kakashi paused. "Damn. This is going to be difficult, isn't it, Iruka?"

It took a second for Iruka's mind to catch up with what Kakashi meant by that last line, but when he did, he reached out for Kakashi's hand and took it in his own. "Yeah, it is. You're going to go on dangerous missions, I'm going to worry, and when you get back, you're not going to be able to tell me about them."

"How do other people do it?" asked Kakashi.

"I don't know," replied Iruka candidly. "I might not be Mr. One-Night-Stand like you, but this is exactly my second serious relationship. And I have special clearance when it comes to Genma, not because we were together, but because we shared a certain classified assignment for a while, and still do occasionally. So this is new for me too." He thought for a moment. "I would say… I won't ask you any questions and you can just tell me whatever you think is appropriate. And if you're upset about something that isn't classified exactly, tell me that part, even if it doesn't make any sense without the context."

Kakashi looked away, still holding Iruka's hand in his own. "What about you worrying? You've already been messed up enough lately, you don't need that too."

Iruka laughed. "I worry about each and every student I've ever taught. I worry about every person that I call my friend, and pretty much every person I know, for that matter. Do you really think one more person to worry about is going to break my back? As for me being messed up lately…" he paused. "I was given a direct order not to reveal the specifics of the event that caused my breakdown, or whatever it was, but you already know it had to do with me losing control and hurting someone. Do you really want to know what happened?"

Kakashi shook his head slightly. "I don't need to know that. All I need to do is trust that you won't hurt me, and I trust that. If I didn't trust that…" Kakashi paused. "Do you know, I didn't say anything at the time because I wanted you to be the one to take me, and I didn't think you would if you knew, but… every single one of those one night stands you were talking about has been me fucking someone else, never the other way around."

Iruka's jaw dropped. "So you, knowing that I had a control issue going on, knowing that I was unstable, let me be the first person to top you, ever?"

Kakashi grinned at the shade of red Iruka was turning. "Yeah. That enough to make you believe I trust you?'

Iruka collapsed into giggles, falling on top of Kakashi, much to the Jounin's surprise. He was glad he didn't have any weapons on him, because resisting the impulse to toss the giggling man off him was bad enough unarmed. "What? Did you really crack this time? Do I need to get you help?" he asked finally, annoyed.

Iruka made a few nonsense noises, and then took a deep breath and tried again. "I was thinking what the gossip-mongers would make of that, considering my fairly clean reputation, and your perverted one… it'd be quite a story, wouldn't it?"

Kakashi gaped at his lover, wondering at the strange things this man's mind could come up with. Finally, he came up with a reply. "Maa, let's stop by the mission room in a bit and run it by your big-mouthed cuddle buddy, and we'll see how it goes."

"My.. my… what?" Iruka choked out, giggling again. Kakashi cut him off with a kiss, though, and for a moment there was nothing at all in his head but the taste of Kakashi, and Kakashi's hand that was still clasped in his own, through it all.

"Let's get up, Ruka," Kakashi said softly, and Iruka felt he'd never been happier to start the day.

Kakashi was on his way out the door to go back to his place to get some things when Iruka stopped him. "Come here for a second, Kakashi," he said, grabbing something from a box on the wall in the living room. Inside was a small tag, and he held it out to Kakashi, who took it carefully. It took a moment for him to figure out the seals on it, and before he had time to fully investigate, Iruka said, "Just send a pulse of chakra into this, when I say, okay?"

"_I'm going to trust him, I said I trust him, I have to trust him_," Kakashi was thinking, because careful shinobi did not go around playing with random tags when they didn't know how they worked. It wasn't an explosive, but it did have some strange seals on it, and who knew what it could do to him. All the same, he stood there holding the thing as Iruka went back to the box and moved some things around, finally coming up with a key and holding onto it. When Iruka gave the signal, Kakashi channeled chakra through the tag, and Iruka did the same with the key. Then he smiled and reached his hand out for the tag, exchanging it for they key, and put the tag back in the box, arranging things a bit more.

"There, now you have a key. And the traps will recognize you, so you can actually use it without getting caught in them. By the way, did Genma let you in this morning, or did you try to get in?"

Kakashi blushed, glad that he was wearing his mask already, and reached up to scratch the back of his head. "Actually, umm, Genma found me caught in that wire trap… and one of the kunai got me…and I bandaged my leg before you woke up… but Genma says the worst of them were the ones that he managed to turn off in time when he realized it was me," he admitted sheepishly.

Iruka grinned, then looked guilty. "So your leg wasn't a mission injury?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Nah, but I wasn't lying about the severity. You can inspect later if you like, but I want to get to my place and then meet you at the mission room so we can play your gossip game." He started for the door again.

"And pick up my schedule," Iruka added casually.

"You're going to work in the mission room again? And you didn't tell me yet? When did you decide this?" Kakashi asked, turning from the door.

Iruka smirked. "In case you hadn't noticed, we were a little busy this morning. I forgot. I decided yesterday, and it's not just the mission room. Tsunade has all kinds of work for me apparently." He saw that Kakashi looked a little sad, so he added, "It won't be as bad as it used to be though, because I'm having her keep that Yori girl to help me out. Once I get her trained in better, I'm sure I'll have plenty of time off still, even with that and the academy. My schedule will be more flexible than yours, so I can probably plan to be off some when you don't have missions…" Iruka paused, suddenly realizing exactly what he was saying.

"Kakashi, should I be doing these things? Giving you my key, thinking about how my schedule lines up with yours? We're taking things so fast here, I don't want to make you feel you have to commit to something just because I'm acting as if you already have," he said softly, blushing and rubbing the scar on his nose.

Kakashi turned and crossed the room, coming to stand close enough for Iruka to touch, but not touching him. "Sensei, surely your memory isn't that short. How did you pass your teaching tests?" he asked, teasingly.

Iruka's blush became even more impressive, but after a moment he realized what Kakashi was referring to. "This morning you told me that you would keep coming home to me as long as I let you," he said, wonderingly.

Kakashi grinned, and tapped him on his scarred nose. "That I did, _my_ dear Iruka, and I intend to do so. Giving me your key was an inevitability, because as soon as you let me, I'm going to be spending far more time here than at my place. You're not getting rid of me anytime soon, though I do have to go get my things now." He kissed Iruka softly, and then, giving up on making it to the door, settled for teleporting.

Grinning like the love-sick fool he was, Iruka headed for the shower and to get himself ready for his first real public appearance with his _boyfriend_, Hatake Kakashi, elite shinobi of Konoha, wondering what exactly he was getting himself into, and knowing he wouldn't have it any other way.


	20. Chapter 20

Iruka arrived at the mission room early, thinking to get some things done before Kakashi got there, like checking out his schedule and finding out about that party, which he'd forgotten to mention to Kakashi. It seemed a little crowded when he arrived, but Yori was alone at the desk, and didn't look busy, which should mean there was either big gossip or missions were being delayed for some reason. Iruka's first instinct was to look around for Genma, but he was in the middle of a group of people, and looked quite a bit busy himself, so Iruka turned and went up to Yori at the desk instead.

"Yori-san, nice to see you," he said politely with a small bow.

The fair-skinned blonde blushed slightly, and then smiled at him, a real brilliant smile for the first time since he'd met her. "Nice to see you, Iruka-san. Come to see what the Hokage plans for you?" she asked.

Iruka nodded. "Yeah, I figure it's probably pretty evil, but of course since you're my henchman, er, henchwoman, I'll give you all the dirty work," he said with a wink. "Seriously, though, what's going on here?"

Yori shook her head. "Everything's backed up. There was some kind of confusion with false clients, apparently, but I couldn't get the details of course."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Where's someone who would have those details?" he asked.

The young woman raised an eyebrow, as if to say "Why would they tell you?" but kept her mouth shut. She was starting to realize that when it came to Umino Iruka, nothing was ever as it seemed. "Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san are in her office, closeted with a few Council members and some Jounin and ANBU. Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san have guard duty today, so they aren't around, and I don't know if they would have heard anything. I suppose some of the Jounin might know something, but otherwise, anyone with that kind of clearance is probably in the office with Tsunade-sama anyway."

Iruka sighed, thinking he might have to bother Genma after all. "Thanks anyway, Yori-san. Hey, what happened to that party, anyway? And I still need my schedule; did Tsunade leave it around here somewhere for me?"

Yori nodded and pulled a scroll out of a drawer in the desk. "Here are all your orders; I'm assuming your schedule for the mission desk and your other duties is in there. As for the party, Tsunade was hoping to have it tonight, if you were okay with that."

Iruka smiled at her. "Are you going?"

Yori hadn't been planning on going to any party. She didn't really feel she'd likely be welcome there, since Tsunade had shown she wasn't fond of her, and in general she didn't feel too welcome among the mission desk staff. However, Iruka was asking her himself, and he had made sure she kept her job, so she should probably at least give it a chance. "Yes, I think I will attend," she said.

Iruka clapped and jumped around like a little kid. It was ridiculous, a man his age acting that way, but somehow it suited him. "Great! I was worried you might feel out of place since you're still fairly new, but I want to make sure you feel like part of the team." He blushed, realizing how he was behaving. "You realize, I teach small children most of the time. It's hard not to pick up their habits sometimes," he said with a sheepish grin.

After his talk with Yori, Iruka slipped away to try to get Genma's attention. Rather than actually walk up to the man and obviously butt into his conversation, he stationed himself at one of Genma's favorite lounging spots and found the hidden seal on the wall there, channeling a very tiny amount of chakra into it. Across the room, Genma didn't bat an eye, but he pulled his senbon out of his mouth and flipped it around his fingers for a moment, and Iruka knew the message had been received. Five minutes later, his friend was at his side.

"I thought you weren't starting back quite this soon," said Genma quietly, taking in the fact that Iruka was not only in the mission room, but also in uniform, while he was still on his break from classes.

Iruka shook his head. "I'm not starting quite yet, though I haven't looked at the message Tsunade left for me, so I don't know exactly when I am starting. I just came by to pick up my orders, and find out about the 'welcome back' party Tsunade is determined to have, and see you, of course," he replied.

Genma frowned. "You should have started at the other end of that list, because obviously seeing me should be the most important thing!"

"Well, it is, but I wouldn't want to give you any more of an ego than you already have, Gen-chan!" came the merry reply, and then… "Oh, Genma, I have gossip for you! It's fun!"

"Oh really?" said Genma, leaning forward eagerly.

"So today Kakashi and I were talking, and he said that… get this… I'm the first person to ever top him!"

Genma looked at Iruka quizzically. "Gossip about yourself?? Why would you want that to get out?" Iruka just stood there, watching him for a moment, waiting for all the pieces to click into place. When they did, Genma gaped, grabbing his senbon from his mouth to save it from falling. "You mean Iruka-sensei, beloved and respected scion of purity, being the first person to ever fuck Hatake Kakashi, infamous Copy-Nin, Jounin extraordinaire, and notorious pervert? It's ridiculous, insane… is it really TRUE?"

Iruka rolled his eyes. "He certainly didn't seem to be lying to me, and he was pretty serious about the whole thing… until I mentioned how funny it was, and he was the one who suggested we leak it just for fun…"

Genma laughed until he felt like his sides were going to split, and Iruka plucked the senbon from his fingers just to be careful, even though he knew his friend had really only hurt himself with it very rarely, and usually on purpose to get out of something or get some kind of sympathy or attention. Had the room not been full of ticked-off, ranting shinobi, they would have called quite a bit of attention to themselves with this behavior, but as it was, no one really seemed to notice.

Iruka finally managed to calm Genma down, and once he had, he asked casually, "Oh, by the way, did you happen to let Kakashi get caught in my traps this morning on purpose?"

Genma grinned. "Of course I did. It was for your own good, you know. You need him to realize you're not some kind of wimp just because you're not a Jounin, don't you? He'll think twice before acting all superior after the pathetic showing he put up against your traps, don't you think?"

"Oh, that's a great idea, thanks!" Iruka said brightly… too brightly.

Genma gulped and wished he had his senbon, but realized Iruka was still holding it. There were more in his vest, but he couldn't exactly pull another one out without it being an obvious sign on discomfort. "Um, how much trouble exactly am I in here, Ruka?" he asked softly.

"Trouble? Why would you be in trouble, Gen-chan? It's not like my boyfriend got injured because of you or anything, is it?" Iruka's smile was very warm and very sweet.

"It was just a scratch!" Genma said defensively. "I would have helped him bandage it, too, but he said it was fine. He didn't seem to be worried about it at all."

"He wasn't worried about it. Neither am I. It's fine," said Iruka, still smiling. He handed Genma back his senbon, and Genma carefully placed it back in his mouth. He was still watching Iruka, wondering what he was planning, wondering when and how he was going to make Genma _pay_. But Genma didn't have long to brood on it, because the next thing he knew Kakashi was striding toward them, and Iruka turned to greet him.

"So, Genma, I've decided I'm not going to kill you after all," said Kakashi casually.

This caught Genma off guard. Kakashi hadn't seem upset about the traps, and had in fact seemed grateful to have them turned off when he did, not seeming to realize that Genma could have done so earlier. Genma couldn't think of anything else he had done to upset Kakashi either, for that matter. Shrugging, he chalked it up to "Kakashi being Kakashi" and replied, "That's good news."

Kakashi moved to stand beside Iruka and put his arm around his lover's shoulders. "Anyway, did I miss anything fun?"


	21. Chapter 21

"Oh, Genma, what's going on here anyway?" asked Iruka, remembering.

Genma shrugged. "There really isn't a lot to say about it. I guess those missing-nin that were messing around in the woods had a more complex plan than we thought, because we got a bunch of suspicious missions coming in. Tsunade's trying to figure out if there are still some accomplices out there somewhere, or in here somewhere, or if it was just a process that they had already put motion before they were wiped out."

"In here?" asked Iruka, softly. "So that's why you were so busy. I should let you get back to work, Genma! But come to that party tonight if you're not too busy, okay?" He knew he didn't have to tell Genma any details, because he'd catch them as he made his rounds.

Genma shrugged. "Party, tonight, got it. As for work, it'll be easier now that I have a juicy piece of gossip to be spreading. Makes everyone more comfortable and talky. Will take care of some of the ranting going on around here too… if you're sure you don't mind that bit being spread?" The question was obviously aimed at Kakashi, who seemed to be smiling, if his eye was any indication.

"I can take an ego hit to play the gossip game," he said casually. "Besides, underneath the underneath, there's more to it than that."

Genma rolled his eyes and said, "Well, I'm off then, lovebirds!" and waded back into the crowd, wearing a "I have a secret" grin.

Iruka turned to Kakashi. "Underneath the underneath again?"

Kakashi pulled Iruka a little tighter with the arm that was still around him, and said nothing. Together they wandered through the room, greeting people they knew occasionally, until they made it back to Yori's desk. People looked at them funny, but no one said anything… yet. "Yori-san, have you met my boyfriend?" asked Iruka casually, and Yori 's green eyes narrowed.

"We've met, haven't we, Hatake?" she said tightly.

Kakashi waved happily. "Yup, you're the spineless wimp Iruka has to train to actually make us lazy shinobi do our paperwork," he said cheerfully.

Iruka stomped on his foot. "Be nice to Yori, she has a hard job, and she's going to be my coworker. If I catch you giving her any problems, I'll start putting up extra traps and not telling you about them." For emphasis, he poked the spot on Kakashi's leg where he'd seen the bandage, and Kakashi winced.

"Let me start over." Kakashi said. "Hello, Yori-san. You are the lucky person who gets to train under the wonderful Iruka-sensei to learn all the complexities of the difficult job here at the mission desk." He looked to Iruka as if for approval, and Iruka nodded.

Yori laughed. She couldn't help it. She thought Iruka was cute, and would have liked to think he might have interest in her someday, but watching him handle this infamously troublesome Jounin was just too much fun. "I look forward to seeing you both at the party tonight, Hatake-san, Umino-san," she said politely, trying to cover for her laughter.

Iruka grinned. "Oh, we'll have loads of fun!"

Behind them, Iruka could hear whispers of "Did Iruka just introduce Kakashi as his boyfriend?" and "Iruka has a boyfriend?" and "Genma said WHAT about them?" Iruka smiled broadly, thinking it had been a long time since he'd played the gossip game, and he'd almost forgotten how much fun it was.

The pair ate an early dinner at the restaurant they had discovered on their first date, realizing this time that there was no name posted anywhere, just a sign that said "Open". This led Kakashi and Iruka to even more conversation about who owned the place and why it was designed the way it was. Again they were the only patrons. They were served by the same friendly waitress, and sat in the same booth. Just as they were digging into dessert, an older man came out of the kitchen and wandered in their direction.

"I heard you had been in here the other day, Hatake, and I was sorry that I had missed you," he said gruffly, and Kakashi found himself staring at the man, trying to remember where he knew him from. It took a few minutes, but after staring at the man's puffy features and dark eyes for a few long moments, he figured it out.

"Gaho-senpai?" he said incredulously. "We were joking about this place being shinobi-owned, but… what are you doing running a restaurant?"

The older man smiled at Kakashi, and lifted his chin to reveal an ugly scar across his throat. "I got out of the shinobi business after I nearly got beheaded. It was a couple of missions after that last one I ran with you, and it was enough to make me realize I was too old for that kind of mess. So I'm doing this now, and it's nice… not having anyone trying to kill me every day. You ever going to retire, Hatake?"

Kakashi shrugged, and looked sideways at Iruka. "I never had a reason to think about it before, but now, someday I might want to. Who knows, maybe I'll even become a schoolteacher, I hear that's an easy job!" he said brightly, ignoring the eyes starting daggers at him from across the table.

Gaho laughed, watching the interaction between his two customers. "It's good to see you playing around like this, Hatake. Last time I saw you… you were much older then, even if you were less than half the age you are now. Going to introduce me to your salvation?"

Iruka choked, not quite comfortable with being called anyone's salvation, especially when in this case it was pretty much the other way around. Or maybe they were saving each other. Who know? "Umino Iruka, meet Nakae Gaho. This man saved my life a time or two, when I was a new Jounin, after I lost my team," he added, and if one looked closely enough, they could have seen a tear staining the cloth of his hitae-ate, below his Sharingan eye.

"Then I have much to thank him for, because had he not saved your life, you could not be in mine," said Iruka, smiling. "Thank you, Nakae-san," he said politely.

"You're quite welcome, Umino-san, and it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you and Hatake back here often. Try coming later in the evening sometime, it gets rather lively… as long as you don't mind Mitsurashi… she gets a little crazy, and she can't seem to stay away!"

Iruka grinned. "Oh, I can handle Anko!"

"Great, then, I'll be seeing you. For right now, though, back to the kitchens! Oh, and dinner's on me tonight, so don't even think about paying!" and with that, Gaho turned and walked away.

Kakashi and Iruka burst out laughing as soon as he was gone, amazed at how accurate their jokes about this place had been. Then Iruka realized it was getting pretty close to time for his party, and they rushed off. Kakashi might be late all the time, but Iruka was determined not to pick up that habit.


	22. Chapter 22

Iruka had expected Tsunade's party to only include the usual mission desk crew, but when he and Kakashi walked into the community hall (where all Tsunade's parties wound up being held), it seemed like most of the shinobi in Konoha were there. He immediately spotted Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke along with several of their contemporaries, hanging out in a corner and chatting amongst themselves. Kotetsu and Izumo seemed to be doing their best to get Yori smashed, putting one drink after another in front of her and distracting her with jokes while she drank them. Raidou, still looking a bit worse for wear and wearing a bandage on his hand and arm, was seated in a chair against one wall, and Genma was plopped on the floor next to him, keeping up a steady stream of chatter which Raidou seemed to be pretty much ignoring. Gai, Kurenai, and Shizune were seating around a table talking. Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza were at a table with Tsunade, and there seemed to be a card game going on there… Iruka groaned even thinking about that.

"What the heck was she thinking, bringing the whole village here? Isn't this supposed to be some kind of little deal for me coming back to work?" asked Iruka grumpily.

"Are you kidding? Tsunade isn't going to throw a small party for anyone! Besides, don't you realize so many people like you? How many of those kids over there did you teach? And how many of the adults here are their parents, or people you call friends?" he asked.

Iruka shrugged, but even as he did so, people were coming up to him, clapping him on the back, welcoming him into their midst. A few of the mischievous shinobi whispered a "Congratulations!" to him that he knew had nothing to do with his returning to his duties, and he grinned widely. Kakashi was hanging all over him again, making it quite clear they were together, and Iruka was astonished to see a few looks of disappointment among the looks of surprise.

It wasn't long until Tsunade made her way over to him, clapping him on the back soundly, which hurt like hell, and proclaiming loudly, "You're the man of honor tonight, so you have to have drinks with me!" She sounded like she'd had far more then enough drinks already, but Iruka knew better than to argue. He let her drag him across the room to the bar, took the drink she pressed on him, and chugged it like a pro. Kakashi, who had followed right behind them, raised an eyebrow, and when Iruka chugged a second drink right after the first, realized he still had a lot to learn about this man. This led to a smile, at the idea that he had the rest of his life to do so, however long that turned out to be.

"You're thinking too much, Kashi, I can tell!" said Iruka, grabbing Kakashi's hand and dragging him over to sit next to him at the bar. "Drink!" The order came in the Sensei-Voice-of-Doom, and before Kakashi's knew it, he was matching Iruka drink for drink. They didn't notice when Tsunade snuck back to her card game to lose some more money, but a couple minutes later Iruka stood abruptly. To Kakashi's surprise, his boyfriend seemed to be completely stable, and it was Iruka who supported Kakashi when he tried to stand and barely managed it.

"We've got to go see Raidou," said Iruka, pointing to where his friend was still sitting in the chair. "Apparently he doesn't feel up to partying, so I want to at least go say hi!" Kakashi merely nodded, and the two set off across the room.

Raidou greeted them warmly, but he seemed tired. "I hope you don't mind if I don't stay long, Iruka," he said. "As much as I love a good party, I'm not even really supposed to be out of the hospital. Gen-chan here was going to smuggle me, but since half the staff was going to be here anyway, Tsunade gave me a reprieve," he explained.

Iruka smiled and embraced his friend. "It's fine, Raidou, I'm just happy to see you. You and 'Gen-chan'" he added, putting a lot of emphasis on the name, and the blush Raidou gave made Iruka smile wider. Genma looked lost, but didn't say anything, and Iruka turned and plopped down to the floor beside him. Kakashi stood a little awkwardly behind Iruka, wondering if he was supposed to stand there or leave Iruka with his friends, but finally settled for resting his hand on Iruka's shoulder and waiting.

"Gen-chan, my dear friend, you might try to open your eyes and ears once in a while even when you're not working," Iruka whispered into Genma's ear. Ignoring the man's look of confusion, he rested his chin on Genma's shoulder and sat silently, his eyes closed. His hands, however, were moving behind Genma's back, making signs, and he wondered what the other man would think of the "I will not injure Iruka's boyfriend" tattoo that would be appearing on his face the next day. He also wondered how long it would take Genma to get it off, or if he'd crawl to Iruka begging before he figured out how.

It was an odd picture to anyone watching, Raidou sitting in his chair looking exhausted, Genma sitting at his feet like a faithful puppy, Iruka leaning on Genma affectionately (to anyone watching anyway), and Kakashi standing behind them all silently. Naruto looked over and grinned, pointing out the scene to his friends, and in moments it seemed like the entire room was looking that way.

Iruka opened his eyes to see all eyes on him, his lover, and their friends. "Well," he said cheerfully, "I suppose there's just no hiding for me anymore." Laughter ensued, brilliant healing beautiful laughter, filling every corner of the room, and Iruka's heart as well.

The End: for now, anyway. I have some ideas for sequels and side stories using this same timeline/universe, so keep an eye out for them if you're interested.


End file.
